A/N: After a lot of debate and talking with several people, I've finally decided that I don't really like Martha that much. I liked her to begin with, she was okay in ep 1, but then she just got annoying. Donna's really funny, and Rose is Rose. But Martha's just...I don't like her. She's still gonna be in episode six, which is the episode that's gonna RAWK. Let's hope she isn't too involved in that one. That's the Doctor's episode. He's been a bit pushed aside this series at the moment / It's all Donna, Donna, Donna and the return of Martha, Martha, Martha he's not really been in it much as a fully fledged character...


Chapter 4 – Out-Of-Body, Out-Of-Mind

"Everyone stand back!" the fireman demanded, "go back to your homes!"

Understandably, people backed up but they didn't return to their homes. The fireman looked down at his co-workers tending to the woman hyperventilating on the ground.

"My daughter!" she was gasping behind the oxygen mask, "my daughter and her friend, they're both in there!"

"Don't worry, we'll get them out ma'am," a voice said, and Jackie turned to find a man standing there, not dressed in a fireman's outfit.

"It's been ten minutes…" she carried on, "he went in to save her but…"

He shushed her quickly. "We'll find them ma'am, no matter what it takes."


Doctor.

He blinked, startled at the voice again.

Concentrate on my voice.

He did, unable to do anything else.

Numb all the pain.

Suddenly his hands stopped burning, his lungs were no longer filled with fumes, the pain of the wall crushing him diminished and stopped burning.

Envision yourself getting up and picking up Rose, and then taking her out again.

He closed his eyes, imagining, and willing with all of his hearts that the words would come true.

Then it happened. Suddenly, he was no longer in his body. He was a separate entity, numb to the pain, the searing heat and the smoke-filled air around him. He couldn't even feel the weight of the collapse, so he pulled himself out from under the rubble and stepped forward, into the flames that caged Rose.

He felt nothing.

He turned back, seeing his own self still lying there, crushed and now looking unconscious. This…couldn't be real…surely? This was one major out-of-body experience. He turned back to Rose, already knowing his task as he advanced towards her, kneeling down and reaching out to her. Wait, could he touch? Apparently so, as his hand rested on her shoulder. She looked so weak, so fragile. So helpless. If it was the last thing he ever did, he would save her.

Wake her up.

"Rose, wake up!" he obeyed the voice, shaking her a little by the shoulder. "Rose, wake up for me?" She groaned slightly as he cradled her head, surveying her over for damage. "That's it! C'mon! Gimme a smile!"

"D…Doc…c…t…tor…" she kept coughing between the syllables, but her expression said it all. He grinned inanely at her, brushing back her hair from her dirty face.

Time's running out…

"Shush, don't talk," he said gently to Rose, stroking her cheek before raising his voice above the roaring fire, "we need to get out of here!"

She nodded, reaching up to hold onto his neck as he lifted her in both arms. She cried out as he turned around, beginning to walk to the flames whilst holding her high above them.

"Rose it's okay, I won't get burnt! I promise!" he said quickly into her ear and she fell silent. The same as before, no pain came when he stepped through the wall to his other self. "Something happened Rose, I got gave me a second chance to save you!" he explained, knowing they were running out of time as he set her carefully down on the floor. "We haven't got long! I need to get my body out from under this, so when I lift it you need to pull me out! Okay?"

She nodded again, reaching out to his real body and cradling it in both arms. The Doctor stepped back to the collapse, sliding his arms under the burning wooden beam crushing his real self and gritted his teeth, lifting it up. Rose used the last of her strength to pull his body free, before finally falling to the floor, coughing.

Envision yourself merging with your real form, getting up and getting Rose out of here.

The Doctor dropped the wood and turned back to Rose.

"Hold on Rose, just a bit longer...!" the Doctor said, closing his eyes. "Need to get back to my own body…"

He envisioned exact what the voice had wanted. He didn't feel anything happen, but next thing he knew he was lying on the floor, all the pains he had previously been numb to suddenly flooding back.

He turned and clambered onto his feet, unable to stop the coughing fit he launched into.

"Rose!" he yelled between coughs, kneeling down next to her to scoop her up in both arms with pains shooting through his chest. "Rose stay with me!"

He got up and made his way over the collapsed rubble and through the hole created in the wall. He was well aware of the searing heat around his feet, but he could only concentrate in getting Rose out. No way was she going to die like this.

The flat was almost completely consumed now, but he somehow managed to navigate a way back through. The fire was lightly burning his skin now so he forced onwards, through the last door and towards the window. He could see figures outside – firemen? How long had he been? He could see the light of the window…just a bit more…just a bit…

With the last of his energy he ducked his head outside, manoeuvring his way out onto the balcony with Rose still in his arms, someone helping him to clamber out.

He was immediately overwhelmed by the cold westerly wind, almost making his burns worse. He collapsed to his knees, coughing and sputtering on the ground. He could hear shouts of concern and cheering underlying that, as well as the roaring fire and the constant wailing sirens. Someone was trying to take Rose from him and although he knew they just wanted to help he kept a firm, protective grip on her.

Finally he lost all his strength, resting Rose on the ground before he collapsed next to her, knowing he was going to pass out. She was still awake, staring ahead at him whilst lying on the floor, coughing as he was. She smiled at him. He smiled back. She reached out towards him, cupping his hand. He squeezed hers gently. He could hear the shrieks of a hysterical Jackie but they were too far away for him to make sense of. Probably something to do with pork pies, he thought tiredly.

Someone turned him over, pressing an oxygen mask to his face. Wait, no. If humans treated him they'd find…something…something that he couldn't remember, but it was important. He knew he had to stop it somehow.

"UNIT," he managed to state, knowing the word was vital in this situation yet he couldn't quite remember what it meant. "UNIT…"

Consciousness was a far-off distant land he wasn't allowed to trek, but all the same, he forced open his eyes, blurry figures hovering over him. He blinked a few times, wishing they'd have the courtesy to be in focus.

"Rose," he croaked, feeling himself being pulled away from her. "Rose…"

"She's in good hands," a voice said. It wasn't incredibly reassuring. Concerned, the Doctor pushed himself up from where he was lying and reached in her vague direction, trying to find her. He was immediately pulled back, but he was far too weak to put up a fight. Maybe Rose was the one lifting him in the air now…

"Don't worry Doctor," a familiar voice said in the swirling world around him. He wondered who it could be. "I'll get you to safety."

Then the world went black.