"Doctor?" Rose pressed one palm against his chest, and squeezed his shoulder with the other hand.

"No, don't," he muttered breathlessly, now holding his head in both of his hands and letting the paper drift to the floor. "You can't." A tear escaped through his eyelids, and then another. His voice rose and octave, strangled and pleading. "Come along, Pond. Please." He fell to his knees, letting out a long cry of pain.

"Doctor!" Rose dropped beside him and shook him by the shoulders. "What's wrong? What do you need me to do?"

His eyes finally opened, wide, fearful, and glassy. More tears ran down his face as he gulped in deep, ragged breaths. He looked around him and then looked into her eyes, his own focusing in and out. "Rose," he breathed in relief. He reached out to grip her shoulders and then pull her into a hug.

Though surprised by the sudden action, Rose wrapped her arms around him in return, rubbing his back as he continued to breathe with shaky breaths. He held her there for longer than normal, as if he didn't want to let go of her.

"What happened?" she asked, still in his arms.

As if just realizing that they had been in the same position for over a minute, the Doctor released her and looked at her with a mournful gaze. "I'm still part of the real Doctor," he said in a low voice, "and he's part of me. Sometimes when we experience extreme emotions, it rips a hole in the rift just enough to connect us again. At least, I'm assuming it's two sided. Now that wouldn't be fair."

"You saw through his eyes?" asked Rose, his morose expression giving her a depressed feeling inside.

He nodded. "It hurts. Wasn't a good time either. Oh, the universes are cruel." He swallowed again and took a deep breath. "I suppose it's helpful sometimes, though. That's how I learned that you shouldn't look at a weeping angel for too long." His eyebrows furrowed together as he stood up. "Blimey, we've been dawdling."

Rose grabbed his outstretched hand and was pulled back up onto her feet. He seemed like he had recovered from the traumatic episode he had just had, but there was still a trace of deep sadness in his eyes. Rose couldn't help but wonder if the other Doctor was going through some terrible loss...again. Couldn't the universe be kind to him, just once?

"Don't do it." The Doctor's words broke through her reverie.

"What?"

"Think about it. " He grimaced, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "It doesn't do any good." His gaze drilling into her, he squeezed her hand. "Come on. We have to get to the engine."

The Doctor released her hand and pressed his hands against the wall like last time. Rose stepped away and flopped down onto his bed, sleepiness beginning to weigh on her. She was only running on a few hours of sleep, and even with adrenaline pumping through her body, she could still drift off right here...

"Rose."

She shook herself awake. Had she actually fallen asleep? Her head swam as she tried to focus on the Doctor's face leaning over her.

He looked at her apologetically. "We have to keep moving. The TARDIS isn't responding, so they must be gaining more control over her. We're going to have to walk through the hallways."

Rose's next breath caught in her throat. "But..."

The Doctor's expression hardened. "I know. The angels. Not to worry, though." He flipped a dark object into the air and caught it back in his hand. "I was wondering where this got to. Should help a bit."

Though it took a minute to focus, Rose finally realized that it was a torch. "So we'll be all right so long as we can see them, yeah?"

He nodded, grabbed her by the shoulders, and pulled her onto her feet. With a small smile he grasped her hand. "I'll look ahead, you look behind. The floor should light up the hallways enough to see, at least for now." He shoved the torch into his pocket and edged toward the door, sighing before he pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "Remember, don't let go of me, and never stare into an angel's eyes." He soniced the door, and it slid open.

Rose stifled a scream as the stone statue of an angel, its hands covering its face, was framed by the doorway. Her breathing sped up, and she gripped the Doctor's hand.

"It's all right. It can't move while we're looking at it. Are you looking?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Don't stop." His jaw tightened, and he looked back at her, pressing her hand. "You're going to have to trust me."

Rose nodded, still staring at the angel. Of course she trusted him.

"Back up."

She followed his pull backwards, bringing them further and further away from the angel and finally to the far wall. Rose tried to steady her breathing, having to remind herself that they were safe for now.
"Now, when I count to three, I want you to blink."

Rose tightened her hold on his hand. "But you said that they could move even if you blink."

"I know. I won't let it touch you."

"But-"

"One. Two..."

Rose took a deep breath.

"Three."

She blinked. The angel was now inside the room, just a meter or two away from them. Its expression was angry with a wide open mouth, revealing sharp teeth. One outstretched arm reached toward her, frozen in place. She couldn't tear her gaze away from its eyes, as much as the Doctor's warning sounded in her head.

"Doctor..."

"I'm looking at it." He tugged her toward the door to the hallway, always turning so that he was facing the angel. They backed out of the room and the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver on the door, making it slide back into place.

Rose sighed and relaxed her body, which she just realized had been all tensed up. She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes. "I looked at it, Doctor."

"How long?" he asked, immediately alert. He looked into her eyes with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Just a few seconds. It was like I couldn't stop..."

He ran his sonic screwdriver over her. "You'll be fine." He then swiveled his head from side to side. "Keep looking back. If you see one, tell me, and don't look at it longer than you need to." His eyes gave her a serious warning look, and then he turned forward and began leading her down the hallway.