Author's Note: Thank you to all who reviewed/followed/favourited my first chapter. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised! It meant a lot to me. I have three disclaimers to go with this chapter. First, apologies, it is once again a little slow. If I'd wanted to get down everything I'd planned for this chapter it would have been outrageously long, so it will have to wait. This leads into my second: this will probably now be longer than five chapters, if only because I ramble far too much and spend way too much time in Ten's head. Oops :D And third: I have decided to introduce a character from another series. It's not exactly a crossover, because I've pretty much borrowed just the character and re-shined him to make him fit in Who!Verse, but I missed writing him so here he is. As such, the Commander isn't mine, and is (much to my sadness) the property of Bioware. Cookies if you know it is! Okay, this is long enough now. Enjoy!

Red Stone Rise

2. The Taste of Sunlight

As it turned out, what was waiting for the Doctor and Rose outside those doors was a wall of blistering heat.

Rose swore softly as they stepped out into it, and immediately took off her jacket. It was uncomfortably warm, the air almost suffocating as it pressed against her skin and throat, and she regretted her usual choice of jeans, t-shirt and trainers.

"You humans," the Doctor commented as he pulled the doors shut behind them and pushed his hands into his pockets. "No temperature regulation. I don't know how you do it."

She glared at him.

The TARDIS had landed among a cluster of boulders. Their edges were jagged and uneven, worn away by wind, and the stark blue of the police box stood out conspicuously against their red sandstone faces. Underfoot the ground was spongy, not unlike wet sand, but it was dry as bone. The air held a twang to it almost like rust and, from above, the glare of two suns beamed down at them from a pastel blue sky. In the distance, ghostly and translucent, there hung the huge silhouette of a moon.

A path sloped away from them and wove down between the rocks, disappearing from sight around a corner. It was half cast in shadow, though that offered little protection from the intensity of the heat. The Doctor glanced enticingly at Rose. "Coming?"

She tried to fan herself with her hand as she trotted after him, but all it did was waft warm air into her face.

"You're telling me you can't feel this heat?" she asked as they walked.

"Well, I can feel it. But it's just warm. Pleasant." He turned his face up to the sun, eyes closed. "Mmm, nothing like a bit of summery warmth," he declared.

Rose snorted as they set off again. "Yeah, well, there's 'summery' and then there's 'my face is melting off', and I can tell you which one I prefer. Just 'cause you're an alien."

"Excuse me, Rose Tyler, I think you'll find that on this planet you're the alien here."

"Oh, sure. Tell me that one again. How many faces have you had now?"

"Shut up."

They continued on in amicable chat until the pathway eventually opened up, the towering boulders giving way to smaller rocks and debris. The Doctor didn't recognise the planet, he said, which Rose thought was a first given his supposed 'I know better than you' knowledge. He didn't find that comment very funny, but it afforded her a good chuckle.

They followed the track as it sloped downward, and marvelled at the view before them. A large expanse of dusty plains, sprawling cliff faces, and yawning valleys met their eyes. The TARDIS seemed to have parked in a small alcove off from a main track that wound around and around, circling down into what looked like some sort quarry below. Except for the wind, which blew hot sand against them, the place seemed empty. There was no movement, no greenery, and no birds in the sky.

All around the cliff faces there were caves, their dark mouths hungry and glinting in the sunlight, and an almost imperceptible hum hung in the air.

Rose swallowed as a sheen of sweat prickled at her forehead. She wiped her brow with her wrist, then shielded her eyes and squinted up at the Doctor. With nothing to protect them from the harshness of the suns, she felt particularly vulnerable out here on the cliff side.

"Do you really not know where we are?" she asked seriously, all humour gone from her voice. It was all very well teasing the Doctor, but his knowledge of planets and species and hidden rules and laws had got them out of many a tight spot in the past; he liked to be armed with knowledge, he used to say. It was better than any gun.

He gave a small shrug. "Well, I don't know everything."

"But… We were dragged here. Isn't that bad?"

The Doctor's mouth became a thin line, and a small crease appeared at the top of his nose, between his eyes. His gaze was fixed on the valley below. He didn't answer her. Instead he pointed and said, "Maybe they know something we don't."

Rose turned and followed the line of his hand. Down in the valley, looking as small and insignificant as ants from where they stood, was a concentrated collection of what looked like tents. Tiny specks moved about them in the shade, and a metallic structure stood erected in the centre, all iron beams and stiff wiring. There was a large hole that had been excavated at the centre of the structure — situated as it was in the centre of the valley, it looked like the eye of a storm.

"Is that… Are those people?" Rose was flabbergasted. She could barely stand to be out in this heat as a temporary visitor. She couldn't imagine actually staying out here.

"Could be. Could be. On the other hand, maybe they're a very small species of the locals and they're really not as far away as they look. Only one way to find out. Come along."

They began to pick their way down the side of the cliff, stepping between loose stones and uneven sand as they went. Rose attempted to tie her jacket in such a way that she could shield her head and face from the onslaught of the suns, but it didn't do her any good. She could feel her skin begin to prickle in the sunshine, the sensation of burning moving up her arms and across her face.

While the slope was gentle, the ground was relatively uneven, and it took a lot of her concentration not to misstep or lose her balance. More than once she found she'd misplaced her footing, and probably would have stumbled had the Doctor not been there to balance her, or to grab her if she veered a little too far. They went on in silence for a long time, Rose wondering why they couldn't just 'fly' the TARDIS down into the pit below, and the Doctor looking thoughtful whenever she had the opportunity to glance in his direction.

About half way down, the path began to steepen.

The stones turned into rocks, the sand more treacherous, and Rose found it even more difficult to follow the line the path was taking. Infuriatingly, the Doctor seemed to be having no trouble at all. Often he would go on ahead, scout out the track, then make his way back to her. It would have been embarrassing if she hadn't been so focused from trying not to pass out from heat exhaustion.

"I need… A rest… " she panted eventually, after a lurch in the ground had meant she'd needed to jump down rather than just walk. "This heat…"

The Doctor looked at her with concern. "Rose, we shouldn't stay out here if we can help it." He tried to offer her a smile, though it was weak. "You know what they say about too much fun in the sun."

She shook her head with a smile, then immediately wished she hadn't. A surge of dizziness hit her from nowhere and, stumbling, she lost her balance. The Doctor moved for her but was just a second too late; he half caught her as she fell awkwardly, twisting as she went, and a slice of pain shot up through her leg as she went down.

The Doctor spoke something softly that she couldn't quite hear — it may have been an insult, she couldn't tell — and tried to help her to her feet.

Putting weight on her left foot, she stumbled again, bracing herself against the support of his hand as he held her. The pain in her ankle throbbed.

She looked up at the Doctor, whose face shielded one of the suns. "Sorry." Rose grimaced. "I think I've done something."

It wouldn't have been so bad, but the combination of the pain and the heat and her dry throat and her sweat-soaked clothes made her long for the cool vents of the TARDIS, or even something as simple as a sip of water. Her head felt heavy and tense, her temples pulsing as though a needle passed right through them. Her limbs were sluggish, and sore. How long had they been out here?

Rose barely had time to comprehend the thought when the Doctor was moving to her side. Without word, he put an arm around her waist and puller her hand across his shoulder, taking the weight from her bad ankle and shifting it on to him. He pulled her to him, forcing her torso against his, and tilted his head to look at her.

From this angle, they were close. He didn't look like this trek down had even made him break a sweat, the bastard.

"Wish I could have a temperature regulator thingy," she half mumbled, attempting a smile. When had she got so tired? She was practically fighting to keep her eyes open.

The hand at her waist tightened, and the Doctor gave her a reassuring grin. "Nonsense. You don't need one of those. You've got me! Let's get you down to the base over there. I can see them much better from here. Definitely people, and not strange tiny locals. Won't be long now. Just try to keep up, hm?"

And off they went, at a much slower pace than when they had started out.

-x-

The Doctor could have kicked himself for not checking the ambient atmosphere before they left the TARDIS. In fact, no, he should have made Rose turn around and get changed the moment she had taken off her jacket. He'd thought, in his own stupid arrogant way, that she was just complaining for the sake of it. Except that that should have been what tipped him off, he realised when it was too late — she hadn't actually complained about the heat at all. Not really.

By the time he realised that she was actually suffering under the light and heat of the two suns bearing down on them, it had been too late to go back. It was harder to push uphill than it was downhill, and Rose looked like she would have fallen over without the support. He didn't even have any water to offer her, much to his dismay, the guilt of which tightened in his gut as though someone were twisting his intestines into a knot. The best he could offer her was a cheerful expression and the insistence that she would be fine.

He wasn't sure it was true.

Their movements became slower and slower, Rose limping along with the Doctor helping her as much as he could. He even offered to carry her at one point, but the look she gave him made him think better of it. That was the problem with independent companions, he came to decide; they wouldn't let themselves be taken care of.

About three quarters of the way down, and when the suns had started their respective descents in the sky above, Rose stopped walking. The Doctor nudged her, and made a joke. When he got no response, and he realised that she felt heavier against him than she had a few moments before, he felt the blood begin to drain from his face.

He glanced down at her. Her head lolled forward, her eyes closed, and he seemed to only be keeping her upright by pressing into her hip with his hand. This wasn't good. Rassilon's fury, why hadn't he just taken them back to the TARDIS?

He stared back the way they had come, up the perilous mountain path, which looked so far away now. Then he stared down into the pit, where he was drawing closer to the encampment. He hoped they were friendly, whoever they were. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Shifting Rose's weight, the Doctor manoeuvred her into his arms, scooping her up under her knees and at her neck. She would kill him when she woke up, he knew, but he'd rather that than have her die of heat exhaustion.

If she wakes up… a mean little voice said spitefully at the back of his mind — a voice that would taunt him with all his greatest failures, if he let it — but he gritted his teeth and pushed that voice away. Of course she would wake up. Heat was dangerous to humans, but she'd be all right. She was Rose.

The Doctor continued his way carefully down the path, picking his way between the rocks and pathway and shifting his centre of gravity whenever the road became too uneven. Carrying Rose was no easy feat, however, and it didn't help that he was distracted by the slackness of her face. He'd seen her faint before — in their line of work this was hardly the first time — but it still set him on edge. Her face was a face built for endless smiles, laughing eyes, and the cheekiest of grins. It looked… unnatural to see her so without life, without vigour.

He was so distracted by her that it took him a moment to process the sound of machinery approaching.

He looked up in time to see a great metallic ground drill roving up and over the ground below. At least, he assumed it was a drill. The front was certainly large and spun with ferocity, and it chewed over the steep surface of the hill via a continuous track that had no trouble moulding to the path's uneven shape.

The Doctor gripped Rose tightly in his arms. He didn't have much in the way of ammunition if they proved hostile towards him; the sonic screwdriver and the psychic paper were all very well, but he couldn't just reach into his pockets and have a rummage with Rose in his arms, could he?

Always one to meet a battle head on, he lifted his chin and stepped forward, towards the approaching drill. It was loud, the shaking noise of it reverberating off the sides of the cliff as it trundled up to meet him. Some welcome party this was going to be.

The machine drew to a stop a few meters away, and with it, so did the clanking of its engines. The Doctor watched with mild interest as a door from the side popped out and slid back, revealing the innards of the drill. A tall, stocky man hopped out, dressed in the most bizarre attire the Doctor could recall seeing for a while. It looked like he was wearing armour, and the glint of metal caught in the sun.

He had close-cut red-blond hair, a stern jaw, and piercing dark eyes. After him, and dressed much more sensibly, there was a slight, pale woman, with a stream of black hair in a ponytail. She wore cotton overalls, and had a pencil tucked behind her ear.

The Doctor stilled as they approached, holding on to Rose. They didn't look dangerous.

"Who in the Maker's name are you?" said the man, coming to a stop just short of the Doctor. "This place is supposed to be abandoned. It is abandoned. Our scans showed no life forms when we arrived."

He had a gun slung over his shoulder: a large, unwieldy affair that made the Doctor pull a face. He wished Rose was conscious; that would have earned him a reprimand.

"Yes, right, um," he started, fumbling over his words. It was fine, this always happened. "Oh, I'm from maintenance. They sent me down to… see how things are coming along. Check the machinery, the target operation, that sort of thing. I've parked just up there." He turned and nodded with his head. "Thinking about it, I probably should have come straight to the base, shouldn't I?" He tossed in a charming grin for good measure. "I have all the credentials, in my pocket. But as you can see my companion has had a bit of hard luck in this sunlight. I don't suppose you could lend us a hand? Or just some water. That would be fine. Oh, er, maybe a bandage as well actually. I think she sprained her ankle on the way down."

The look he was fixed with told him the man wasn't impressed. Never had the Doctor seen an eyebrow arch so high, and he'd met Jack Harkness.

"How stupid do you think I am? We haven't been in contact with our home operation in stellars, and you think you can just blunder in like some half-cocked rookie with a story like that? My cat tells better lies than you."

The Doctor blinked. His gaze moved from the surly man to the slender woman, then back again. "You're not even going to believe me just a little bit?" he asked eventually. "My friend really could do with some water."

"Commander," spoke the woman rigidly, unfastening a vial from her belt. "Permission to supply the newcomers with hydrogen dioxide, sir."

The Commander met the Doctor's gaze, his eyes dark. "Granted," he said, although it sounded like the last thing he wanted to do.

Her face lit up as though he'd just told her she could have the rest of the year off. She was sweet, in an endearing way that Rose would probably hate. The Doctor hid a smile.

"Thank you," he said earnestly as she approached them, and unfastened the vial. With the Doctor's help, she lifted Rose's head and poured some into her mouth, then flecked her brow and neck with the rest.

She gave a brief nod. "It's no problem. We came here to see if we could help you. It was madness, thinking we saw the two of you coming down the cliff face. Impossible — we just had to come and see if it was true."

"Of course you did," the Doctor enthused, grinning. How he loved humans and their curiosity. "And, let me tell you… "

"…Ashe."

"Ashe. Lovely name. Anyway, I am eternally grateful that you did."

From behind them, the Commander cleared his throat loudly.

With her back to him, Ashe gave a small smirk. "Don't mind him," she said softly, as she finished up the vial. "He just doesn't like being lied to."

"What makes you think I was lying?"

She looked uncertain, as though she wasn't sure she should really be telling him anything. The Doctor gave her his best, 'come on, you can tell me anything' expression — one that had worked on Rose surprisingly well — but it was to no avail.

Ashe stood back, and motioned to the machine.

"Come on. Let's get the two of you inside. We can go through introductions on the way."