Chapter 3 – New Earth Part 1

The following days after Christmas went by without event. Rose mostly spent time helping her mum out around the flat, running errands together, some shopping trips, and buying chips and crisps for when any fireworks shows started. They would have to buy more chips later since Rose had sneaked one too many, with the Doctor's help.

Surprisingly, the Doctor wasn't just enjoying himself, he seemed completely content. Occasionally, he would run errands with them or help clean up after a meal, and he did so with a genuine smile on his face. However, he did have some criticisms.

"It's fine, Doctor," Rose admonished for the umpteenth time.

"Nonsense," the Doctor tried to reason while he held the sonic to the stove. "I'm certain with a couple adjustments to this burner I can make it so the kettle will boil faster." He paused to hum thoughtfully. "I can do the same with the other burners, if you like."

That's when Jackie walked in the kitchen. "What's he doing?"

Rose leaned against the wall, half exasperated, half amused. "Trying to blow up the Estate." She snorted at his indignant 'oi'.

Jackie rolled her eyes and grabbed a magazine from the kitchen counter. It was the magazine she'd been looking all over the flat for, but it was also convenient for the current matter. Jackie rolled it up in her hand.

"Oi," the Doctor exclaimed again when he felt the magazine connect with the top of his head. He looked up to see a stern Jackie.

"If you blow up my flat," she said as she walked away towards the sofa. "I'm coming to live with you and Rose on your spaceship."

The Doctor's eyes widened in horror and Rose loudly burst into laughter. He quickly morphed his expression into one of indifference. "Well," he cleared his throat, nodding to the stove. "I suppose it's in fine working order. I mean, after I did a thorough inspection, of course. Yep, tip-top shape!"

Though he acted like he couldn't sit still for very long, Rose was constantly being surprised. Sometimes he would be attempting to fix something in the flat, other times he would be helping them with a chore, like dishes or folding laundry. Sometimes he would visit the hardware shop for prospective TARDIS parts, other times he would be lounging peacefully next to Rose in front of the telly.

What else was surprising was how attentive this Doctor was towards her. Her previous Doctor was never neglectful of her; he'd always wanted her involved in whatever scheme or adventure he was up to, and he always took her opinions and suggestions to heart. However, this Doctor was a different level.

Wherever she was, he wanted to be. Whether it was lazing about the flat or going shopping with her mum, the Doctor was more than happy to tag along. He was following her lead most of the time instead of whinging about being stuck on Earth. He also seemed to be able to read her like a book.

When her paper cut started to itch, she made for the loo to get the first-aid kit. She didn't move more than a couple feet when the Doctor was suddenly in front of her with the tube of ointment. She was shocked, but she chalked it up to the fact that she'd been scratching at it an hour prior and the Doctor probably noticed at the time. When she started thinking about her argument with Mickey, she'd get a sad heaviness in her stomach. Right when she felt like she was starting to cry, the Doctor appeared, armed with a steaming mug of her favorite Earth tea. Rose knew that she had a habit of wearing her emotions, but his timing with the tea was almost too perfect. Still, she didn't feel the need to question him on this, because he didn't press her for any details. He simply sat with her, cheering her up by spouting out unbelievable but true facts about the numerous tabloids spread out on Jackie's coffee table.

When the Doctor had disappeared during Christmas dinner, she'd immediately asked Mickey and Jackie if they'd seen him. Jackie suggested that he probably went back to the TARDIS like he always did, and Mickey muttered a pitiless comment under his breath. Rose demanded to know whether the comment was directed at the Doctor or herself. Sensing a couple's row coming along, Jackie discreetly left to eat her dessert out on the balcony.

And a row it was. They argued for well over several minutes, Mickey voicing his anger of having been left behind while she travelled the universe, Rose venting her culminated frustration of the day's events. The end of the argument wasn't of mutual standing, no 'agree to disagree', no real final say from either of them. At Mickey's tired silence, Rose had turned and walked out to find the Doctor.

Mickey was nowhere to be found during their New Year's holiday at Jackie's flat. Perhaps, for the time being, it was for the best. He'd become good friends with her mum over the years. The last thing Rose wanted was for Mickey to come over and for her mum to get involved in another argument; that wouldn't be fair to anyone.

Rose and Mickey had such a long history. She didn't know what he meant to her now, but any kind of friendship now seemed far out of reach at this point. She no longer desired a relationship with Mickey, but she wasn't sure whether she should at least patch things up with him, or let him go. Well, the Doctor had the TARDIS. Rose had plenty of time to figure things out.

As the Doctor expected, the TARDIS gained full strength in less than twenty-four hours after Christmas Day. They enjoyed themselves those next few days, eating leftover holiday food, making fun of science documentaries, watching fireworks from Jackie's balcony, just ringing in the New Year. And soon, Rose was packing another bag while the Doctor prepped the TARDIS.

"Now, you've got everything, right," Jackie nagged. "Mobile, warm clothes, extra knickers-"

"Mum! We're in public," Rose exclaimed, face heating as she quickly glanced around the street they were standing in. She lowered her voice a little. "Yeah, I've got everything. And if I did forget something we can always come back, buy it somewhere, or the TARDIS can provide it."

"That ship of yours sounds more like a funhouse by the day," Jackie muttered. When Rose put her bag on the ground, Jackie pulled her daughter in for a lengthy hug. "You'll call me whenever you can? You got the phone charger on you?"

"'Course," Rose nodded against her shoulder, also not quite willing to let go yet.

"And you tell that Doctor he'd better keep you safe."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm not a child, mum."

Jackie released her and shook her head with a sad smile. "No, you're not. You're all grown up." She paused. "Also tell him I want you to visit often," she jabbed a finger at the TARDIS. "And that includes him. He's family now, has been for a while…He does know that, right?"

Rose smiled. "After this holiday, I think he does. I have to go now, all right? I love you."

"Love you, too, darling." They hugged again before Rose picked up her bag and disappeared behind those blue doors.

Jackie walked away before the TARDIS completely dematerialized, for she knew her daughter had her own life to enjoy.

When the Doctor heard the doors creak shut, he balanced himself on one foot to glance around the time rotor. There she was, beaming away at him, clever eyes bright and giddy and ready for adventure. It didn't matter that the light of the console room was always dim, or that her hair was lightly tousled from carrying her luggage, Rose's smile was one of the most beautiful things in his universe.

The Doctor gave her a mischievous grin, pulled the helmic regulator, hit another lever, and they were careening through the vortex once more. Rose pushed her bag off to the side; she would tend to it later as her and the Doctor were full of energy and ready to jump right into it all.

She ran up the ramp and plopped down onto the jump seat to watch his usual dance. "So where're we going," she asked.

"Further than we've ever gone before." Then, the Doctor paused his movements. He once again peeked his head around the time rotor. "What're you doing all the way over there," he asked as if she were missing something obvious. Her eyebrows came together. "Come here and hold this lever down."

Rose's eyes widened, and she scrambled to her feet. This was new. Normally, he hardly ever let her touch the console. Despite the usual jostling of the flight, she jogged to the Doctor's side without incident.

The Doctor grinned at her and pointed to a rather small lever. "Hold that down and don't let go 'till I say." She did as instructed and he started racing around again, doing more actions on the console than usual. "The TARDIS did some recalibrating while she rested," he explained. "So, I have to return things to my favorite settings."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with her settings?"

"I disagree with them," he said without missing a beat.

Rose snorted. "Well, maybe she has those settings in place for a reason."

"Ugh," he groaned. "You sound just like the manual." Rose was shaking her head amusedly as the Doctor flitted back to her side. "Ready?" He wagged an eyebrow. Rose grinned and nodded. He flipped the handbrake and the TARDIS started to shake and rattle maniacally. "All right, let it go!" She let the lever go, but now she had nothing to hold on to. She was almost pitched backwards, but the Doctor held her fast, locking his arm around her waist and holding them both against the console. The TARDIS was shaking more this trip, but that was due to all the resetting he did. The extra shaking was the ship's form of protest, but even then the lights seemed to glow with amusement as her passengers laughed exuberantly.

When the TARDIS's groaning and moving came to an end, the Doctor finally released her. "Let's go," he exclaimed as he grabbed his coat. "Time's a-wasting."

"You've never let me touch the controls before," she remarked. When the Doctor didn't respond, she switched to talking about something else. "So, what was that lever?"

He pulled his coat on and scratched his neck. "Well," he said after a moment. "It's a very important one, that lever. Had to reset it so that it…worked properly."

"What's it for," Rose asked again.

"Audio neutralizer to aid in the materialization and dematerialization processes."

"Why would you need to…" she paused, trying to get a better understanding of what he was saying, "…neutralize audio?"

"Because…well," the Doctor flexed his jaw to try and find some clever words.

Rose's eyes widened and her face split into a grin. "You mean to tell me the TARDIS has had a mute button for the landing noise all this time?"

"It's not a mute button," the Doctor protested with a squeak in his voice. He turned to the door and opened it. "…It's a lever. And how else am I supposed to know if she's landed if I can't hear her?" Rose laughed. "Are you coming?"

"All right, all right." She calmed herself to catch up with him. "Where've we landed?" The smell of apples wafted around her before she even exited the TARDIS.

When she did, her feet steeped out onto lush green grass. The TARDIS had landed them on an expanse of field, overlooking a bustling city that sat atop a wide river. Her head swiveled in wonder as flying vehicles similar to cars flew overhead.

"It's the year five billion and twenty-three," the Doctor enlightened. "We're in the galaxy M87." He took her hand and gazed at her. "Rose Tyler, welcome to New Earth."

Rose chuckled breathlessly. "That's…it's just…"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Not bad at all, I'd say. Your first time flying, too, and we made it one piece."

She pushed his shoulder indignantly. "All I did was hold the mute button!"

"Lever," the Doctor corrected. "And you're jeaopardy-friendly, who knows what could've happened?"

"Rude," Rose grumbled, but the Doctor was delighted to see her grin still hadn't left her face. "This is amazing. Oh, I'll never get used to this." She bounced a little. "Different ground beneath my feet, different sky, and what's that smell?"

The Doctor bent to pluck some grass and hold it up to her nose. "Apple grass."

"It smells wonderful." Once the Doctor released the grass into the wind, she took his hand again. "It's beautiful," she said, not taking her eyes off his. "Can I just say, travelling with you, I love it."

The Doctor closed his eyes and his smile widened, as if he were focusing on something that Rose couldn't see. After a moment he opened them. "Me too." He held her hand a little tighter. "Come on!"

With a fast run, he led Rose further away from the TARDIS to find a flat space on the field. After laying his coat on the grass he gently tugged Rose to lie down next to him. Putting some of her weight on their still-joined hands, she carefully dropped to sit by his side. For a peaceful moment, he watched as the wind whipped at her hair.

"So," the Doctor began. "The year five billion, the sun expands and the Earth gets roasted."

Rose gave him a cheeky a grin. "That was our first date."

The Doctor hummed fondly. "We had chips." She chuckled. "Anyway," he continued. "Planet gone, all rocks and dust, but the human race lives on, spreads out across the stars. Soon as the Earth burns up, oh yeah, all nostalgic, big revival movement, then they find this place." He sat up on his elbows to be more level with her and to look out across the city. "Same size as the Earth, same air, same orbit. Lovely. Call goes out, the humans move in."

Rose nodded to the city. "What's it called?"

"New New York." She gave him a dubious look. "It is," he chuckled. "It's the city of New New York." He shrugged. "Well, strictly speaking it's the fifteenth New York since the original. So that technically makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York." When Rose didn't say anything, he looked at her to find a pensive line between her brows. "What?"

"You're so different," Rose murmured, and the Doctor was crestfallen to hear a hint of sadness.

"Good different or bad different?"

Rose's gaze shifted to the grass behind them as she fidgeted with a seam on the coat. She was trying to find an answer to the question he'd asked before. Rose still missed her previous Doctor, and she didn't think she would ever stop missing him, but this new Doctor had such a charm, an air about him that made him easy to be around. She didn't have to make much of an effort to get used to who he was now. She was enjoying his company as much as he still enjoyed her's.

Over the loud wind, Rose didn't hear the Doctor shift closer, but she did look at him when she felt his fingers brushing some hair away from her eyes. "All right," he asked tentatively.

Rose gave him a half-smile. "Good different," she nodded.

The Doctor beamed at her, and the fingers that had stroked her hair away were now resting delicately on her cheek. Before Rose had a chance to react to this tender contact, the Doctor suddenly reached over her, his forearm brushing across her ribs.

"Wha-" She exclaimed, but then she saw he was taking a corner of the coat off the grass to rifle through a pocket.

"Hang on, what's this," he murmured, taking out the psychic paper. He gave it a read and began standing up.

"What is it," Rose asked as she stood and picked his coat off the ground for him.

"Message on the psychic paper," he explained. "Looks like someone wants to see us in 'Ward 26'."

"Where's that at?"

He tipped his chin towards another corner of the river where a tall white structure stood by the shore. "Over there. See that green moon on the side? It's the universal symbol for hospitals."

"Any idea who wants to see us?"

The Doctor shook his head as he took Rose's hand, guiding them onward. "There was no signature on the message. We'll have to play it by ear."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Right, 'cause we never do that."

"Hey, I'd say we have spontaneity down to an art form."

"By spontaneity, do you mean always landing in the wrong place and time period," she asked, her tongue poking between her teeth.

The Doctor rolled his eyes as they stepped out onto the shoreline. "What I mean is adventure at every turn." He brandished the psychic paper before sliding it back in his pocket. "Always a thrilling surprise around every corner. Who knows," he waggled his eyebrows at her. "There may be some deep dark mystery in this hospital that only we can solve. Ooh, you could pose as a patient in order to ensure they keep us." He chuckled as they walked up the steps to the front entrance of the hospital.

Rose shook her head at his teasing. "Mum's right, I think we do go looking for trouble. And why would I have to be the patient," she whined as she crossed her arms.

The Doctor held a door open for her. "For one, you don't do bed rest well and it'd be a laugh to watch you boss around the staff. And two, I don't like hospitals to begin with."

"Really," Rose raised an eyebrow. "That's a bit rich, coming from you."

"I don't like hospitals," he repeated, as if he were stating a fact. "They give me the creeps."

They began wandering the expanse of the main lobby. All the floors and walls were as shiny and sterile as any other hospital. Staff and patients milled around them, and Rose couldn't help but notice how happy everyone seemed. She might even go so far as to say they looked overjoyed. Every person they passed were on their way out of the hospital looking in perfect health. Rose almost thought it was too perfect, but this was billions of years into her future which meant modern medicine was sure to be better than ever.

"I'd have thought this far into the future they'd have cured everything," Rose wondered aloud after the Doctor was done musing about there not being a little shop.

The Doctor was looking for a lift that would take them to the appropriate floor. "The human race moves on, but so do the viruses. It's an ongoing war." He turned around when he heard her stop walking.

"They're cats," Rose whispered, pointed to a pair of nurses that walked passed them.

"Now, don't stare. What do you think you look like to them, all pink and yellow?" Not waiting for her response he began walking again, thinking for sure she would fall back into step with him. Rose was torn between gawking at the cat-nuns or observing the almost too-healthy-looking patients. She didn't hear the Doctor talking about where he'd put a shop as he walked further away from her. As a result, she was too late to join him on the lift.

"Hey, wait," she exclaimed, running forward.

The Doctor realized too late that she wasn't right behind him and didn't have time to stop the doors before they sealed shut. "Too late," he hollered, trying not to grit his teeth in apprehension. "I'm going up. Remember, Ward 26! And watch out for the disinfectant!"

Rose yelled to ask him to repeat himself, but the lift had already taken him too far up. With a huff, Rose took the adjacent lift. He'd said 'Ward 26', but she couldn't hear him after that. So, as one can imagine, the disinfectant she was sprayed with upon entering the lift came as quite a surprise. She breathed a sigh of relief when the jarring shower finally came to end and the lift opened its door.

Rose expected to see the Doctor waiting for her, expected to see more of the polished surface of the hospital, but what she got instead was a gloomy hallway with pipes and wires attached to the floor, walls, and ceiling. It appeared as though she were now below the hospital.

"The human child is clean."

Rose spun at the sound of the new voice. A young man stood a little ways down the hall, staring far too calmly at her.

Rose licked her lips nervously. "I'm…looking for Ward 26." She tried to relax. This was clearly a part of the hospital where they did maintenance on plumbing and electrical. If the person at the end of the hall was a maintenance man, surely he could help her get to Ward 26, but Rose couldn't help shake the feeling that ending up down there was no accident.

Her suspicions were confirmed when the man spoke again. "This way, Rose Tyler."

Rose's eyebrows slowly lifted in question. The man walked down the hall, clearly expecting her to follow. She looked to the lift to see it was still sealed. The button on the wall to open its doors was cracked and falling off its mount. She only had one choice of direction.

After a deep breath, she bent down, picked up a long rod of broken metal, and followed the strange man.

After arriving near Ward 26, the Doctor waited patiently by the other lift doors. What was taking her so long?

The Doctor shivered tensely. The comforting warmth that radiated from Rose's energy in his subconscious always lessened when she was far from him. At first, she was only several floors down as the lift took him up, and he waited for the other lift that would take her up to him. However, now he felt almost cold, as if she'd moved further away into the hospital.

The Doctor shook his head. The lift she'd have to take wasn't capable of going down any further. He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the nearest call button.

"May I ask what you're doing," a strict voice demanded.

The Doctor glanced back to look at the nurse. "My friend should've been here by now. I'm just making sure everything's in working order." Without waiting for a reaction to this statement, he started to adjust the sonic.

The nurse waved dismissively. "I assure you, sir, that everything is in working order in this hospital. Now, is there a patient here that you're visiting, or do I have to ask you to vacate the premises?"

At her clipped tone, the Doctor growled under his breath, and he pocketed the sonic. "We're here to see someone in Ward 26," he said as he walked over to the nurse. "Emphasis on 'we'. My friend, Rose Tyler, must've gotten lost."

The nurse nodded in understanding. "I could ask at reception to see if your friend has checked in with them. Ward 26 is this way, if you'll follow." She turned around and walked through a large set of open glass doors.

The Doctor scratched the back of his neck, conflicted. It was in Rose's nature to wander off and she was probably just exploring before she found her way back to him. His strongest impulse was to look for her, to assure himself of her well-being. However, if the Doctor took the time to meet whoever gave him the note on the psychic paper, perhaps Rose would simply reconvene with him. She did know which ward to go to. It would do him no good to look for her only to find out that she arrived in Ward 26 waiting for him.

With an irate exhale, he followed the nurse. Trying to distract himself, he said, "Nice place, by the way, but no shop downstairs. I'd have a shop. Not a big one, just a shop where people can…shop."

The nurse looked at him dubiously. "A hospital is a place of healing."

"A shop does some people a world of good. Not me, other people."

Noticing that the nurse started to ignore his rambling, he turned his focus on the patients they passed. The Doctor gave them all a sympathetic glance. A few of the patients had debilitating illnesses they wouldn't soon recover from, one of which included Petrifold Regression that was infecting the Duke of Manhattan.

"Excuse me," the Duke's assistant snapped at the Doctor. "Members of the public may only gaze upon the Duke of Manhattan with written permission from the Senate of New New York."

"Frau Clovis," the Duke sighed. "I'm so weak." Clovis immediately spun around to tend to him.

At the Doctor's expression, the nurse faced him. "He'll be up and about in no time," she assured.

The Doctor shook his head. "I doubt it. Petrifold Regression mean he's turning to stone. There won't be a cure for another, oh, thousand years. He might be up and about, but only as a statue."

The nurse straightened. "Have faith in us," was all she said before leading him further into the ward. "How will you know who you're looking? It's rather unusual to visit without knowing the patient.

The Doctor's eyes fell on the final patient at the end of the ward. Resting in his glass domicile was the Face of Boe. "I think I've found him."

Seeing how hard one of the cat-nuns was working around Boe, he politely asked the nurse for some water. Once given, he passed the cup to the nun who he was told was named Novice Hame.

"Thank you," Hame muttered. "That's very kind. Are you a friend of his?"

The Doctor shrugged. "We only met once before. What's wrong with him?"

Hame's head drooped little. "He's dying of the one thing we can't cure. Old age. He's thousands of years old, some say millions. Although, that would be impossible," she finished with a tiny chuckle.

"Oh, I don't know," the Doctor said as he crouched down. "I like impossible." He put his fingertips to the glass. The only response from the Face of Boe was a sleepy exhale. "I'm here. I look a bit different, but it's me. It's the Doctor." He looked to Hame again. "Am I the only visitor?"

She nodded. "Then there's me, but I only maintain his smoke. His kind became extinct long ago. He's the only one left." She was looking wistfully out the window at the river. "Legend says that the Face of Boe has watched the universe grow old. There's all sorts of superstitions around him. One story says that just before his death, he'll impart his great secret, that he will speak those words to…a wanderer, to the man without a home. The lonely God."

The Doctor was still as Hame spoke. There were many wanderers in the universe, and many Gods. Boe's last bit of wisdom could be said to any number of those, least of all him. The Doctor swallowed. "Stories, yeah?"

The Doctor was starting to feel pressure near his eyes and on his forehead, as if he were about to cry. He did some deep breathing and once he was calm, the pressure still didn't abate. He now felt as though someone were pressing down on his head. He gritted his teeth against the sensation. It wasn't going away, but it wasn't increasing anymore. Involuntarily, he sought out Rose's energy, as if it would give him an answer. Rose was still no closer to him than when he'd arrived at Ward 26. Not only that, but her energy felt similar to how his head currently felt, tense and stifled.

The Doctor's eyes snapped open. He bolted to his feet and stood over Hame, taking no heed of the hint of fear in her eyes. "I need a phone, now!"

Stuttering, she recommended he used the one on the floor's security desk. He ran out of the ward. When he found the phone, he straight away dialed Rose's mobile, hoping that she had it on her this trip. The pressure still hadn't ceased.

"Uh, wotcha," Rose's voice came from the other end.

He breathed, some tension leaving his shoulders. "One of these days I ought to get a phone of my own, might make it easier when you wander off. Anyway, how long does it take to get to Ward 26?"

Rose began to say she was on her way and she sounded a little strained. The rest of her sentence was drowned out by raucous laughter coming from Ward 26; it sounded like the Duke of Manhattan. Wasn't he incapacitated mere minutes ago?

The Doctor did a quick analysis through the link. He still felt pressure, but it hadn't worsened and hearing Rose's voice again was a relief. "I'd better go," he said quickly. "See you in a minute. And try not to wander off again," he scolded lightly.

The Doctor positioned himself to fully face the ward. The Duke of Manhattan was laughing, making jokes, and sipping champagne. His skin had turned back into a healthy shade and his once groggy voice was as smooth as a bard's.

"That's impossible," the Doctor whispered. After stealing another glance around, he noticed the other patients were in high spirits, and not just from the Duke's quips. They'd been healed, too. "That's…"

"Primitive species would accuse of magic," another nurse walked up beside him. The Doctor refused to take his eyes off Ward 26. "But it's merely the tender application of science."

"How on Earth did you cure them?"

"How on New Earth, you might say." She shrugged elegantly. "A simple remedy."

This made him look at the nurse. "Then tell me what it is."

She scoffed. "I'm sorry. Patient confidentiality."

The nurse the Doctor had conversed with previously had joined them. "Matron Casp," she said, voice shaky from a light a jog. "You're needed in Intensive Care."

Casp gave the Doctor a polite nod and followed her fellow nurse, both muttering about how someone in the hospital just gained consciousness. The Doctor shook his head, mind beyond confused at this point.

The Doctor finally noticed Rose's presence coming closer, and when that pleasant warmth within him began to spread he swiveled around until he caught sight of her. "There you are!" He waited for Rose to catch up and join his side. Odd, he normally would've met her halfway and took her hand to guide her back to the ward, especially with how long she was gone for. He shook his head; perhaps he was just being clingy.

"Here, have a look at this," the Doctor murmured low enough so only she could hear, nodding at the patients one by one. "Marconi's Disease. Takes years to recover, but they did it in two days. Pallidome Pancrosis. That man should've been dead ten minutes ago. And don't get me started on the Petrifold Regression." His eye caught sight of some more medical equipment. "Their medical science is way advanced. I need to find a terminal and see how they're doing this." He arched a clever eyebrow and looked at Rose. "If they've got the best medicine in the world, why does it seem like such a secret?"

"I can't Adam and Eve it," Rose stated as the Doctor began searching for records or a database.

The Doctor stopped dead and spun to face her. "Wait, what-what's with the voice?"

"Oh, I don't know," she shrugged slowly. "Just larking about. New Earth, new me." She paused, licking her lips and adjusting her top, but he wasn't focused on the immodest way she'd adjusted its zipper. Now that she was closer, he could sense how aggravated the link was. "…And new you." Suddenly, Rose's hands were buried in his hair, her lips pressed against his in a hard snog.

In this universe, there are good and bad kinds of burns. The burn that blazed through the Doctor was not one of passion, but one of agony. That was the only way he could describe it, hot fire stabbing at his telepathic centers, repressive heat constricting around Rose's energy, threatening to burn both her and him.

That was it!

Rose finally stepped back to breath. "T…" She cleared her throat and pointed lazily to the wall. "Terminal's this way."

The Doctor was only able to breathe properly when she walked away from him. He rubbed at his temples in an effort to ease more of the burning which mercifully began to subside when she stepped away. Rose's energy would not react so fearful and repulsive towards her own willing actions. Something else didn't make sense. He felt the usual lovely warmth when they'd reunited by the ward, but the warmth quickly turned edgy when she got even closer, as if the link was confused.

The Doctor observed Rose as she made her way to the terminal. Her body language was all wrong, her voice held an arrogant lilt, and she didn't seem even remotely curious about the fast-healing patients. This wasn't Rose.

Reluctantly, he started walking towards her, fists clenched in his suit pockets. Whatever had happened to his Rose, he would fix it. And whoever got in his way would meet the Oncoming Storm.