Rose leant against the wall, breathing heavily. She shouldn't be out of breath after such a short run; especially given how much fitter she was now, constantly running with the Doctor. But what she had heard when she reached his bedroom door was enough to make the breath catch in her throat, and she hadn't had time to recover from the jog over.

He had been talking, and that in its self didn't surprise her too much, he always muttered to the Tardis, or made quick quips at her when they arrived in the wrong place (or time). But this was different… It almost sounded like a conversation. No, not almost. Definitely. And there was something in his voice…. She couldn't make out the words at first, not wanting to intrude by leaning in, but she knew him well enough to understand the tone. At first it sounded like amazement, but then it turned into something else, something that meant she couldn't help but press her ear against the door – fear.

She heard a soft hum, soft enough that anyone else would miss it, almost like the sound of the wind. And then he spoke again, and this time she could hear him.

"Tell me," he said firmly.

Rose frowned. Something was happening, and it wasn't good. She instinctively looked to her side to share her worried expression, but no one was there. It was him she was spying on. Rose pushed the word spying out of her mind…

That hum was back again. It was so familiar. She heard the Doctor's voice.

"What storm?"

Rose bit her lip. She usually liked the word storm. Mostly because it was part of him: The Oncoming Storm. But the way he said it now, she knew this storm didn't mean she was being saved. It meant something was coming. 'Or maybe it's already here,' she thought.

She was interrupted from this thought as he spoke again. "Are you saying… I should tell her how I feel?" The Doctor paused. "She knows. She's always known."

Rose felt her heart flutter. She knew he was talking about her. It was always unspoken between them - that bond. But they both knew it was there, and they knew how important it was. Rose knew that she needed him, and she knew that he needed her. That was what the Doctor was talking about, that unbreakable link they had to each other, wasn't it? Suddenly it dawned on her that maybe she shouldn't be listening to this conversation.

She stepped back from the door slowly, and turned and ran lightly back to her room, moving away just in time to miss that familiar golden light shining under the door.

The Doctor's eyes took a second to adjust to the lack of light. His mind was racing in the way it always did when he was given a taste of mystery, trying to fit the pieces into place. But he couldn't bring the solution into focus; too weighed down by one thought – 'her path will end.' Rose was in danger.

He rubbed his eyes, letting his hands rest in the hollows of his cheeks before leaning against the bed frame. If he had known that she was in danger in any other moment, if anything else had given him that knowledge, he would have run to her. But it was the Tardis, which meant that whatever it was, this storm, it was in his future.

'Do not let him dull your bond.' The Doctor turned the lights on, rubbing his chin. The Tardis was here. Really here. As touchable as Rose was. But then, Rose was leaving… The Tardis had implied that in every word. He silenced the thought quickly, but couldn't push the rising memory from his mind.

"This is really seeing the future, you just leave us behind," Rose had said, the slight aggressiveness is her voice not hiding the pain and fear in her eyes. "Is that what's gonna happen to me?" she asked, almost as if she didn't want an answer. "No," he said quickly. "Not to you."

He breathed in quickly. "Not to you," he repeated, with an air of finality. Whatever was coming, he would not let it take Rose. No matter what his Tardis thought that she could see. She'd promised him forever, and if that broke… well it would break them both with it. And he wouldn't let that happen. He had to see Rose. He had to be with her. As soon as he came to the realization that he would have to go to her it felt completely unstoppable. The Doctor pushed the door open quickly, straightening his tie as he walked towards her room.

Rose Tyler's head was spinning. "What storm?" she asked herself quietly, trying to quell the fear that was growing inside her. It had something to do with her, she knew that much. But she couldn't talk to the Doctor. Could she? No, he'd know she'd been spying on him. Not that that had been her intention... She pushed a stray blonde lock behind her ear and walked over to her iPod. Music always calmed her down. Rose put on her earphones and lay on the bed, choosing to ignore her thoughts and just focus on the music. She chewed on her lip habitually as Britney Spears sung seductively into her ears. Rose smiled a little, knowing the Doctor would laugh at her song choice.

As if the thought of him had been a cue, there was a knock at her door. She sat up quickly, pulling off her earphones. The Doctor opened the door, startling her a little. He usually knocked, she noted silently. They looked at each other in silence for a moment as Rose stood up. He swallowed. Let her heal you. Without even stopping to acknowledge the memory of the words he obeyed them, walking over to Rose and enveloping her in his arms. He breathed her in. She hugged back, pulling him closer to her. He felt his eyes close, and was thankful that she didn't speak. Rose sighed into him, making the Doctor's hearts beat a little quicker, even as time seemed to move slower around them.

"Doctor," she breathed into his ear, "what's wrong?" They broke apart a little, and he looked down at her. Rose's mouth fell open a little as she looked into his eyes, which almost looked his age. "I…" he started to speak, almost with an air of desperation. His eyes darted over to the iPod on the bed. 'With a taste of your lips I'm on a rush…' He looked back at Rose with an eyebrow raised.

"I didn't know you were a Britney fan," he said with a smirk.

I'm sorry I've been a bit slow in getting this up, life has been a little busy over the last few days. I know this is a short chapter, but it felt odd not to end it here, and I should have the next one up tonight as compensation :)