A/N: Sorry it took me so long, people! Thanks to my reviewers-

IfEaRnOfIsH: Here you go!! Might make you wait another UNBEARABLE two

weeks for the next one... or it's on tomorrow! HA, I'm evil...

Four: The Mists (2)

"STOP!"

Rose was jerked to a standstill by the Doctor's abrupt halt- half pulling her arm out of its socket in the progress. "What?" She cried, rubbing her sore shoulder.

"Urgent matter to attend to." He announced, and strode over to the icy wall of the corridor. His images followed, and he leaned forward until he was almost touching the ice. He ran a hand through his hair critically, smoothing edges and fluffing the front up until he was happy. He leaned back to admire to effect.

"Still good, good." He murmured. Fluffing it up a bit more. "There! Perfect! Oh, I do look good Tyler!" he said happily, taking her arm and practically skipping down the corridor again. She shot him a look.

"Do you mean to tell me my arm just got dislocated for you to stop and flick your hair a bit?" She half-shrieked and he shot her a mortified look.

"Flicked? Flicked?" He cried, shocked. "How could you say such a thing? I would never flick my hair, Rose Tyler! Be nice, my hair needs a gentle touch."

Rose was about to reply when a movement behind the Doctor's shoulder caused her to look up. Her eyes met cold, blue-grey ones and she felt every muscle freeze as solidly as the corridor she was in. She couldn't summon words as she felt a building terror threatening to overwhelm her- all she could see where those icy blue eyes and she was drowning in them. Her heat stopped and blood rushed in her eyes, her chest ached and a rhythmic thudding began deep in her head. She only dimly saw the Doctor turn around and face those eyes, but then he turned around again and faced her, worry on his face. She felt him shake her gently, but there wasn't anything she could do- she couldn't run or scream at him; the thing held her too tightly. The Doctor started speaking, but she couldn't hear the words- her ears were clogged with cotton wool, her joints rusted and her voice reduced to a whisper. Faintly, noises filtered through; …Rose… okay… Rose… only…Bear… he didn't seem afraid or even bothered about those eyes behind him –she was drowning and he was unaffected. Slowly, her vision expanded, allowing the rest of the thing that held her, helpless in its power. The white fur, the black nose, the teeth, the ears, the four huge paws… it was a bear. A big bear. A very big bear! It was easily bigger than the Doctor, and yet he seemed fine, unafraid.

"Rose, this is a bear." He tried again, and she found her voice enough to whisper back.

"I know it's a bear, Doctor." She hissed faintly. He shook his head, smiling.

"No, she's a Bear. Capital letter." A deep rumble echoed from the animal behind him, but it wasn't a warning, it was a hello, Rose realised. She smiled faintly at the creature, and it padded out from behind her friend and touched her cheek with his wet nose. She flinched from the coldness, but tentatively- at an encouraging nod from the Doctor- put her hand on the Bear's soft white fur. It was luxuriously fluffy, and the purest white Rose had ever seen- the Bear rumbled it's appreciation as Rose felt the last of her fear evaporate. She turned to scowl at the grinning Doctor.

"You are so dead for taking another decade off my life." She glared, but he only laughed.

"Her name is Sviet de Glirai. It means 'morning rose' in Glyrian." He ventured, grinning when she reluctantly smiled. The Bear made a soft mewing noise that made Rose smile even more. "She's a young Southern-Gala Bear- practically a baby, actually."

"Hello…Sviet." She tried, pronouncing the new word with difficulty. "I'm sorry about my little, um, panic before." The animal only purred with contentment as she continued to trace half circles through the thick fur. "Hey, it's more for me than you- your fur's lovely." Rose whispered as the Bear threatened to roll over with happiness at Rose stroke. She looked over at the Doctor for explanation. He was leaning on the ice-wall, looking rather cool with his hands casually in his pockets, looking for all the world, Rose thought, like some model on his tea break. Talking of tea…

"Any chance of a cuppa?" she asked over Sviet's rumbles. "I'm freezing my ears off here."

"Oh, we can't have that!" The Doctor announced. "Ears are good, ears are important! Ears are for wigging!" and with that bizarre statement hanging in the air, he leapt off the wall and disappeared around the corner ahead, shouting something about tea and ears. Rose shivered, hoping that the Doctor wouldn't try to combine the two- which, she thought, he probably would…

* * *

The scrape of feet across the ice alerted Rose to the newcomer's presence before she saw them, and, remembering Caie from earlier, leapt to her feet, instantly wary. Sviet rose slowly to her feet, groggy from the relaxation- she sniffed, and smelling the strangers, her pupils widened until they almost covered her blue irises, giving her the look of a hunting shark. Rose kept a comforting hand on the Bear's head- which was level with her chest- all the while wishing she knew where the Doctor was. She had no time to call out before the figure of Caie stepped around the corner, her cold eyes locking onto Rose's immediately.

"Oh," She purred, but the sound was more like a cackle to Rose, now she knew what the girl was. "It's the little human, Rose Tyler… we parted on such angry terms last time"-

"Look," Rose interrupted, trying to keep her voice from wavering. "I don't care what you want"- she broke off as shadows appeared on the wall behind Caie, and seconds later, three other, similarly dressed people appeared- they were all dressed in blue dresses like Caie, and each had an identical expression on their faces- cold, detached but morbidly curious, as if she was something they could examine and dissect.

Four against one. Rose swallowed, glad of the warmth of the Bear under her fingers.

"Oh, but I think you should care, Rose." Caie whispered; her voice like a thousand serpents. She paused, her icy eyes piercing Rose's soul. "You are afraid, so very afraid Rose Tyler…"

"Of you? Please?" Rose snorted, but she couldn't help her gaze from flicking constantly between the four of them- it was like a never-ending trail; girl, boy, Caie, boy. Girl, boy, Caie, boy… "It takes a lot to scare me."

Caie laughed cruelly. "Oh, I disagree- you fear so much, Rose, I cannot understand how you do not go insane with the worry- you fear for your mother, Mickey, the Doctor- oh," She smiled coldly. "But it is more than that isn't it? You feel more than fear for him, don't you?" Caie continued forward until Rose was forced to back up against a wall- the girl held her there in her evil gaze. Sviet snarled- the sound nothing like the playful noises from before; this was a full predatory growl.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rose tried to spit back, but Caie brushed her anger away like cobwebs.

"Oh, but you do- you can't lie to me, Rose Tyler." She leaned forward until she was murmuring poison in Rose's ear. "I can see everything." She whispered coldly, making Rose shiver. "Everything. That is God's gift." Rose laughed harshly.

"God?" She sneered, and with satisfaction, she saw Caie cruel smile falter. "You're using this… cult as your cover, your alibi for murder?" the smile had fully disappeared now, and Caie's eyes flared.

"You know nothing." She hissed, her voices like snakes. "You are a human, a blemish upon this perfect world and you will be purged." Before Rose could retort, the two male Gilia had pulled her roughly off the wall. Rose barely had time to register what was happening before one of the boys had his pale hands over her mouth, preventing her from screaming; Sviet roared- the noise shattering Rose's eardrums as she struggled against the boy; it was useless, he was too strong for her- and leapt forward, but the remaining two Gilia kept her at bay with vicious-looking whips which drew thin red slashes against Sviet's white coat. The cub whimpered as they bit into her.

Doctor! She screamed, but she couldn't make a sound.

Doctor, help me! She pleaded, feeling tears of desperation form as the boy dragged her easily towards a tunnel, hidden behind a panel of ice. The Doctor would never find her if they took her down there, Rose faintly thought as she fought for breath.

The boys hold on her throat was unbreakable, and it was slowly choking her. Making her movements slowly more lethargic as he continued to carry her. Rose couldn't summon the energy to fight any more as the last of her oxygen ran out.

Doctor, help me-she tried as black spots appeared on her vision, the hidden tunnel getting closer at every blotch that appeared, until the blackness wasn't blotches anymore, it was solid, only tiny pinpricks of lighting breaking through -

He's killing me.