Rose's jacket rubbed against the Doctor's ear as he took another step. He could only hear muffled sounds outside the suit and Rose's wonderful heartbeat. The same heart beating at almost double the speed even though he was doing all the walking. Well, more like jogging, but inside a large Nicloxan spacesuit.

"Keep going straight. We're almost there," reported Rose.

He huffed and kept at it. His own single heart raced, taxed with holding their balance and trying to get to the rocket. He rushed towards their goal before they were either caught or missed their flight. By his count he regenerated into this body about five hours ago. More like five hours, seven minutes, and forty-three seconds ago. Gratefully, he had a full Time Lord brain and a half-human body. However his new part human physiology mixed together an unusual bunch of cells to feed his impressive Time Lord noggin. That meant he needed sleep to acclimate to the new workings of his biology. He wondered when Rose had slept last.

"Turn right and stop after, um, three steps," Rose instructed him.

"We've made it to the rocket?"

"Yeah, bunch of people ahead of us though. There's a line."

Rose told him to step forward every few seconds, and his heart beat increased. Him getting nervous was something new. Normally during these types of situations he kept calm. Not being able to regenerate probably had something to do with it. The recent memory of Rose's almost fatal stunt at the shop plagued him. He could have lost her again so soon after getting her back. He concentrated on stepping forward. He didn't want to go down the road of what could have beens.

"ID," asked a deep muffled voice. The Doctor froze, waiting for Rose's directions.

Rose looked down at him. She shifted when she did, enough for him to look up at her fully. "Doctor!"

"I heard. Are they to our left or right?"

"Left."

He pulled out the transport ID from the outer pockets of the suit and handed it blindly to the left. A pair of thick fingers took it.

"Clear," said the same deep voice after a few seconds.

The Doctor held out his hand instead of trying to retrieve the ID. Someone slapped the ID back into his palm. "You're lucky I didn't close the doors ten minutes ago. There's a lockdown in place and this will be our last flight for the next two days."

"Should we talk to him?" Rose whispered, even though he'd sound proofed the suit before they left the shop.

"Nah, best we keep quiet and let our body do the talking." The Doctor made the Nicloxan sign for thank you, wiggling all ten of his fingers.

"Yeah, yeah, get!" the rough voice said, clearly agitated.

"Keep straight, then left after five steps. There's a ladder for the rocket," said Rose.

"Oh, that's gonna be fun," he said with not even an ounce of excitement.

As he thought, once they were at the ladder, they fumbled. He missed the steps on each attempt. On their fourth try he grazed a stair, slapping his foot on the ground. They tipped forward before they used their combined body weight to straighten themselves.

"Is anyone watching?" he asked.

"No, I think we're okay," she assured him.

He finally got the hang of climbing the stairs without seeing. He climbed four stairs before Rose grabbed his shoulder. He looked up and saw her staring at something with wide eyes.

"Okay, maybe not," warned Rose.

"What's going on? What do you see? Soldiers?"

"Yeah, at the top, just the one though."

"Act normal, we're almost there so there's no need to be antsy. I'm sure it's just precautionary. They'll see we're all by our lonesome and let us pass."

"Easier said than done when we're stuck together in this cramped suit," she complained. Rose squirmed, moving her back to adjust her position.

"Come on now, Rose, we've been through tighter spots than this," he joked. They needed a good pun right now.

She snorted. "How did I know you were going to say that." He could hear the smile in her voice. That brought his nerves under control.

"Halt!" another deep but muffled voice commanded.

He stopped and Rose held her breath.

"You seen two pink humanoids in blue recently?"

"Rose," he whispered, then realized he needn't, "swivel the helmet to look like we're shaking our head 'no'."

"Okay," she agreed breathlessly.

He tilted his head back to watch her work. She placed her hands on the edges of the domed helmet and twisted it back and forth, creating the look of someone shaking their head.

"Alright, you can enter," the deep voice commanded, sounding absolutely bored.

"Are there more stairs?"

"No, you can go straight. Then right in two steps."

"We'll need to find a seat somewhere secluded, since our knees bend a bit high. Well, my knees to be precise. They don't exactly match with our suit, it'll be a dead give away. Walking is one thing, but sitting? Besides, my legs, my very athletic legs mind you, are a bit too thin for a Nicloxan."

"Alright, keep going straight then, I see a seat in the back. It's behind an Exxilon."

"Exxilon? They tend to be...malodorous." He extracted his arm from one of the suit sleeves and took out his sonic. He typed a few buttons on the panel inside the suit, which he had taken and reattached from the outside, using his sonic when it gave him trouble. "I'll close the vents and filtration unit to keep out the smell. We'll cycle our air inside the suit for now."

"I was wondering about that. These being space suits and all."

"These suits were made to be multipurpose. It's why they're finicky, too many functions loaded onto a tiny little mainframe."

"No such thing as a free lunch then," she said, shifting to look down at him.

He glanced back up at her. "They could have thrown in a free trip to Midnight with each sale. That would have been a better deal," he said, his contempt clear in his voice.

The Doctor wasn't sure why he'd mentioned Midnight. He didn't particularly want to remember it. Fifty days had passed since that day on Crusader 50. The recurring number fifty didn't go unnoticed by him. Now he was on another transport, though this time he was stuck in a suit with Rose Tyler. It could be worse. He needed to remind himself that this could be much worse. He closed his eyes to ward off the memory of Rose at the shop, jumping into fatal gas.

"Alright, we're at the back," declared Rose.

He opened his eyes and focused on their current task. "How are the seats arranged?"

"Facing the cabin."

He tried to imagine what she described. "We're facing the tail?"

"Yeah. The seat's to the left."

"Alright, here goes."

He pivoted to the right. They wobbled and the Doctor grabbed on to Rose, keeping her in place. Once they were still, he tried to bend down. He moved slowly, not knowing where he would meet the seat. An edge of something solid brushed past his bum and he almost lost their balance. He shot right up, causing them to stagger. Rose gave him a look. He shrugged one shoulder then tightened his hold on her. He wondered what the other passengers, if they were looking, made of their attempt. He scooted backwards then bent down again, careful not to pitch them forward. Finally his bum meet the chair.

"There we are, all snug as a bug in a rug!" he exclaimed happily.

"You mean a really big bug in a small rug?"

"I take it from your avid complaints about our current confinement, the size of our interior is bugging you?"

She tutted. "You're on a roll with the insect thing aren't you?"

"Someone has to stay merry as a cricket during a crisis."

"Are you done?" She smiled down at him.

"Yeah." He loosened his hold and felt his way to her hand. He caressed it before putting his arm back into the suit sleeve. "How are you holding up?"

Rose wiggled, her body moving against his. "Staying like this is gonna give me a cramp."

"We shouldn't be in the suit much longer." The more her body stayed in contact with his, the more discomfort he felt. One type of discomfort he didn't mind. The other, not so much. "And I know what you mean, already my shoulder is going stiff. We'll need a decent masseuse when we're done. I know a few places we could visit on our way back to Earth that can take care of all our aches and pains." If he could be the one to massage her, all the better. But he'd wait for her to ask. He thought of the places he mentioned, when reality struck. "Well, back in the other universe I did, they might not exist here."

She gazed down at him. "Like Midnight?"

A pang of relief and terror went through him. "Really, it doesn't exist in this universe? You've checked?"

"Had to, we were looking for you. We found your coordinates, but we couldn't find the planet to coordinate a jump."

He glanced away from her and stared at the inside control panel. "Can't say I'm disappointed. About Midnight, not about you being unable to reach me. It would have been nice, seeing you there."

"I tried contacting you when you were on the planet. Something must have happened."

He contemplated what Rose must have gone through to try and reach him. The broken space truck and the mysterious organism might have blocked a reliable connection. He rubbed his forehead, trying to think of something to tell Rose. He didn't have it in him to relive that day just yet. "Mmm, the food was awful. Couldn't quite figure out the source of their meat. That tells me they had to cut back and buy something questionable from some questionable seller." He ran a hand through his hair. "Plus the tours were awful. Not worth the money. I'd blame it on the planet, they probably had to move to a more advantageous location."

"Doctor." The seriousness of her voice told him she knew something more had happened.

He wrapped his arm around her again, more for his comfort than hers. "I-"

"Ladies, gentlemen, and variations thereupon, we will now begin lift off. Please stay in your seats at all times." A loud voice from a speaker cut him off.

The Doctor didn't know if he could handle another situation like Midnight. He was mortal now, he had to cull certain risks and certain tendencies. He wouldn't have jumped into that fatal gas and Rose shouldn't have done so either. Why take such a risk? Risks were only acceptable when the odds were favorable. Their jump, the suit stealing, those were fine.

He swallowed, thinking about the incident on Midnight again. The words on the speaker were the same as those of the stewardess who'd saved his life. It'd been fifty days since Crusader 50. These incidents were striking. He didn't want to believe in fate. But Donna, his creation, Caan's prophecy, and everything since the beach were adding up. Now there were reminders of Midnight. Something else must be at play. Was it the Pyoo Seers?

"Do you know where we're going?" Rose asked.

He focused on answering, he could think about the odds later. "The speaker didn't specify, could be a nearby planet or space station."

The seat under him vibrated as the rocket took off. The change in pitch forced them to lean to the left. In seconds they broke orbit and leveled out.

The Doctor tried to get comfortable with Rose Tyler angled across his right shoulder. He moved his shoulders up and down, to no effect. "I'm just happy we didn't get caught. Classic retreat and reorganize, though our retreat could have been smoother. But all in a days work, eh?"

Rose laughed, the rumble of her mirth passing through to him. It was an altogether pleasant feeling. "Should have seen some of mine when I worked for Torchwood. Doesn't matter how you do it, so long as you get out alive."

Worked?"So you're not going to work for them anymore?" he asked.

"Didn't plan on being back here. I cleared out my desk and everything." The cheerful mood created by Rose's laugh evaporated. "The whole point of the dimension cannon was so I could come back. Didn't work until the stars went out." Rose stilled and her body stiffened. "I forgot this you didn't know. I told the other one," she muttered.

He breathed in deep. He had brought up a delicate subject inadvertently and didn't know how to fix it. "It's alright, I'm sure there isn't much I missed between then and now." He tried for nonchalance and hoped it was the right course. "I'm sure Torchwood will take you back."

She looked down at him. "What about you?"

He looked up at her. "What about me?"

"What are you gonna do?" she asked.

"Oh, I'll grow the TARDIS. Since this is a new universe and I'm a new me, can't be the same old life anymore, can it?" He looked away, thinking on all the things he could do once they got back. "Maybe I'll check out the differences between this Earth and the other one. See if they found the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Or I might do a fair amount of traveling and find it myself." Rose scooted away from him. He glanced up and found her staring out the domed helmet. "Rose?"

"It's nothing."

He regarded her blank face with regret in his single heart. What had he said to make her upset? Did she still think he'd leave her? "Of course, I won't be on my own. We'll do those things together, if you, well, if you want to come."

"I won't-" She started passionately before the words died on her lips. He imagined she was about to declare that she wouldn't leave him. "Yeah, I want to come with you," she said finally, much more subdued.

He pushed down the elation he felt at her answer. She continued to stare out the helmet, seemingly a million miles away, or possibly in another universe. The right words continued to elude him. He searched for them in his giant, magnificent brain of his. "I'm sorry," he said when he could think of nothing else.

"For what?"

He leaned away from her, turning to look up at her as best as he could. "I was supposed to say something else, wasn't I?" He swallowed, nervousness rattling his insides. This time it had nothing to do with being able to regenerate. "The first time I'm in a human relationship and I cock it up completely within the first twenty four hours."

She looked back at him, confusion writ on her face. "What do you mean?"

"I can't get anything right, can I?"

She shook her head. "No, that's not it."

He furrowed his brows, sharing her confusion, and touched her hip. "Rose?"

"You said 'human relationship'." She found his eyes and held them. "And you didn't mean friends either. You meant like a couple, didn't you?"

He wasn't going to hide from this. "I did."

She turned away from him and looked back out of the domed helmet. She bit a nail, remaining still and silent for a few moments. "When do you think we'll get home to Earth?" she asked, her voice casual and light.

Ah, so they were going to ignore it for now. If she wanted to play at normal, he'd play along. He was great at playing along. "I thought you wanted to liberate the Pyoo?"

"Yeah, I meant after?"

"Well, depending on what type of transport we can snatch, and based off of the location of Pyoo from Earth, I'd say, maybe, roughly, five years? Four? Since, by your calender, humans didn't leave Earth for another hundred years or so, we'll have to rely on non-human space technology. Though if I can grow the TARDIS somewhere safely, I could get us home faster. You know the drill, a flip of a lever and home sweet home."

"That's good," she said, a smile coming to back to her face and voice. "Just need to find a safe place then."

They gazed at one another and he watched as her smile grew. What did she think of their relationship? Wasn't their declaration of feelings and kisses an indication of them being a couple? Was there more to it? Some kind of contract he didn't know of? Why was this so difficult?

A deep exhaustion swept over him. He wondered if he could sleep with her on his shoulder. He wished they could find a nice bed so he could hold her as he slept. His eyes drooped from the lightheadedness of fatigue.

The rocket shook, causing the suit to sway. He grabbed Rose to steady them. The shock of the tremor woke him and his fears of a rehash of Crusader 50 came back to the surface. "Something's not right."

"I take it this isn't regular turbulence?" she asked.

The rocket shook again and panicked murmurs sounded outside the suit.

"No, usually these types of rockets have built in shock absorbers. We wouldn't feel normal space turbulence." The rocket quaked again, more violent than the last. "These shakes are too precise. They're happening every two point five seconds, almost like gunfire from another ship."

Rose peered through the domed helmet. "The people are all standing, crowding the windows to get a look at something."

The rocket quaked, almost forcing them from their seats. The Doctor knew that they had to leave because the rocket would soon be destroyed or boarded. He didn't want them to be here for either.

"We need to stand. Push forward."

Rose did as he instructed and leaned forward, giving them enough momentum to stand. The rocket shook just as they were on their feet.

"Rose, we need to get to the airlock, where is it?" he asked, his voice urgent.

"It's right here, to our left." The ship shook again. This time a loud explosion sounded from somewhere near the cockpit. "Good thing you wanted to sit in the back."

"Our luck has been very fortuitous lately, hasn't it?"

A loud boom went off nearby, nearly knocking them off their feet. Frustrated he couldn't see, he glanced up at Rose. She wore a look of terror as she watched the goings-on outside the suit.

"We can think about that later, yeah?" she said, almost breathless.

"Right, left!" He turned left to make their way to the airlock.

He took two steps when Rose called out. "Stop, the door's just in front of us." She looked down at him, her face lined with concern. "What about the others?"

"Are any of them wearing spacesuits?"

Rose twisted to look behind her. "I can't tell, everyone is crowding together. Some of the rocket is blocking the view."

He clenched his teeth together. Frustration seethed inside him. With everything else going on, he couldn't even save them. "There's nothing we can do. Where is the hatch? The seal to open it?"

"To the right of the door."

He fumbled blindly for the hatch. He grabbed hold of it as soon as his fingers found the lever. He pulled down, optimistic it would open without a security code. A hiss and a click informed him he was right.

"You'll have to step over the ledge."

"How many steps until we're inside?" he asked.

"Only one."

He climbed over the ledge, thankful he didn't botch it on the first go. He heard the doors hiss closed behind them once they were inside. The rocket shook again, accompanied by a metallic shriek echoing all around them.

"The other hatch is to the right," Rose informed him, desperation tinting her voice. He reached out with his right hand, feeling for the next hatch. "You sure about this? Won't we get torn apart by debris or fired on by the other ship?"

Her question reminded him of what he had to do next. He took out his sonic and worked fast on the inside panel. "I'm rerouting power from our air systems to the frankly inadequate propulsion systems of the suit. We'll push off from the ship and then jettison the rest of the way."

"What about our air?"

"We'll still have about a day's worth." If their luck won out, someone would hopefully pick them up. "Our only chance of survival is out in space."

"Yeah, not arguing that," she said, glancing down at him.

He met her eyes. Death, the finality of it, loomed close. He had only experienced this feeling a few times before and even now it frightened him. Did his companions feel like this each time they ran into trouble with him? His heart raced thinking he might not live the human life he wanted. "If this doesn't work, Rose-"

"Stop that and get us out to space already," she interrupted.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, smirking. Her refusal to give up or even allow him the thought of giving up steadied his racing heart.

He pulled open the second hatch. The airlock depressurised the area, howling as it did so. Rose's weight lifted off him and he drifted upward as gravity no longer held them down. After he heard a clang and a hiss, he felt for the door, and found it open. Urgently, yet calmly, he floated out into space. He grabbed onto the side of the rocket. He bent low, with his feet to the ship, and pushed off, allowing them to glide away.

"Blimey, the other ship is massive," Rose exclaimed as she looked out into space.

Unfortunately the size of the suit prevented him from sharing the domed helmet. He looked up and gazed past Rose to the domed helmet, but saw nothing but the stars and darkness of the universe outside the suit. "You'll have to describe it to me once we're not in danger of it."

The Doctor tapped the inside panel, turning on the propulsion. The suit pushed them onward. The sounds of the battle grew fainter. He sighed, feeling confident that they were safe. He looked at the stars, soaring by in a blur, and caught Rose's eyes. He wrapped his arms around her as they floated inside the suit. Though her back was to him, he felt content enough to sleep.

A large explosion went off behind them, cascading into a silent storm of destruction. The force of the explosion hit them, propelling them forward. Rose screamed and he held her tighter. They kept gaining speed, spiraling faster and faster into the depth of space.

To Be Continued

Beta'd by the wonderful Sporehead!