A/N: I'm really sorry about the delay for this chapter, especially after that mini cliffhanger... It wasn't intentional, I swear! Anyway, I hope this chapter makes up for the wait!

"The weapon she was shot with… It's deadly. We've never encountered a species who could survive it before. And certainly not humans." Kaf pauses, looking away uneasily.

"Doctor, your friend should be dead."

The Doctor could swear one of his hearts freezes in his chest at these words. He stills, a wave of dread washing over him, as he tries to make sense of the words he has just heard. Rose should be dead. The image of her lying on the floor, looking lifeless, refuses to leave his mind. She looked dead. He had thought she was dead, when he first saw her body. She should be dead.

"Are you sure about this?" he asks, his voice low and strained. "Absolutely, completely certain?"

"Yes, of course I am. I know what our own guns do. They're energy blasters, made to kill. And she was hit, I know she was, I ran past her – her body when we tried to catch the other prisoners…"

He almost growls at the word body, and Kaf flinches, looking down uncomfortably. The Doctor closes his eyes, trying to regain control of his temper. There has to be an explanation for this. Rose could tell him, he has to see her, Rose would know…

"Kaf, I need to – "

He falls silent as he hears the sound of footsteps from above, and seconds later Dzarn appears at the top of the staircase. Kaf steps quickly away from him, pretending to busy himself at a desk while the leader walks slowly down the stairs.

"Alright, tell me what's been done," Dzarn orders as he reaches the foot of the staircase. "Czifiran?"

"We've made some good progress," she answers nervously. "We explained everything to the Doctor, and he had some interesting suggestions. One of his ideas gave a very promising result: the pathogen regressed in cell cultures when submitted to a mix of carbon ions and beta particles in the presence of acidic Treflazin – "

"Spare me the technical jargon, please," he cuts her off impatiently. "So, what you're saying is he's not completely useless?"

"No. He's been very helpful."

"Has he tried anything suspicious?" he asks, addressing Firzian.

"No, sir. He's been behaving."

"Yes, I've been a good little boy, as promised. Now can we please move on from the unnecessary display of brutish authority?" the Doctor snaps, irritated. Still reeling from the shock of Kaf's words, he's not feeling particularly inclined to be patient, at the moment.

The only thing he wants is to get back to Rose. He needs to see her again, to reassure his frayed nerves that she is alive and well. And then… Then he will finally get some answers from her.

Dzarn turns towards him then, a sneer on his face.

"Keep quiet, Doctor. You'd do well to remember that you're a prisoner here, and act like one. Don't test my patience."

"You're making me lose mine," the Doctor mutters. Louder, he adds, "Look, I know you need me, so stop trying to pretend otherwise. It grows tiring."

"Fine, do what you're needed for, then, and get back to work," he snaps back. He notices Czif and Kaf sharing a dubious look, and he clenches his jaw. "What?"

"Well… we really need to rest, Kaf and me," she pleads. "It's been a while since we last slept, and it's been a long and stressful day. We're getting too tired to work properly. I was just about to come up and tell you. We'll only make mistakes if we keep this up."

The leader seems to hesitate for a moment, and the Doctor senses the opportunity. They don't know who he is; they don't know he can go days without feeling the need to sleep. This is his chance.

"Yes, I agree. We should stop for the day. I need rest as well."

"You, don't start!" Dzarn barks, glaring at him.

"But it's true. I'm not human. My species has a rather small solar cycle, compared to Earth. I need to rest frequently, for a few hours at a time."

That seems to attract their attention.

"You're not human?" Kaf exclaims, surprised.

"No, I'm not. See?" He takes hold of the scientist's slim hand and places it over his chest, letting him feel his double heartbeat. The Drazfin's dark slitted eyes open wide in astonishment.

"Two hearts," he whispers, amazed.

Dzarn is watching the scene with increasing irritation mixed with grudging interest. "Alright, that's enough," he finally orders. "Alright, you win. You can all go to sleep. It'll be more efficient like this, anyway, all three of you working and resting at the same time. Czif, Kaf, go upstairs. Doctor, back in the cage." The Doctor pays little attention to the provocative sneer in the leader's voice. This is exactly what he wanted. Get to Rose. He needs to see her, now.

"Firzian, are you fine to keep watch by yourself?"

"Yes, I'm alright. I took a nap earlier today."

"Yes, I remember. That's why no one was watching those prisoners," he retorts, irritated. "No matter. Make sure everything stays quiet. You hear anything suspicious out there, let me know."

She nods, and the Doctor follows Dzarn down the corridor as Kaf and Czif disappear upstairs.

When they reach the cage room, the leader stops to talk to the guard there, but the Doctor only has eyes for the woman in front of him. Rose gets to her feet in her prison as they walk in, her eyes immediately focusing on his from across the room. She offers him a wide smile as he stares at her, the lovely one with her tongue poking out, and he can finally breathe a little better. She's here, she's safe, she's alive.

"Get in there." The commanding voice snaps him out of his reverie. The guard has left, and Dzarn is pointing to the inside of the open cage with the muzzle of a gun.

"Alright, no need to get touchy."

He steps inside the cage, and immediately Rose walks up to him and throws her arms around him in a hug, her face pressed to his neck. He returns it eagerly, wrapping her in his embrace, relishing in the thud of her heart against his chest, the feeling of her breath against his skin. She lets go to look into his eyes questioningly.

"Doctor, what – "

"There will be no talking," Dzarn cuts her off. He has closed the cage and locked it again, and now stands watching them a few feet from the bars. "You are here to sleep, so sleep."

The Doctor sighs in exasperation. He needs to talk to Rose. It's not enough to see her, he needs to know what happened to her. The thought that she could have died before he ever knew her will haunt him until he does.

There's one possibility, though, he suddenly realizes. One way to communicate without the Drazfin being aware of it.

Telepathy. She's telepathic.

He sits down on the floor, and motions to Rose to do the same. She settles down next to him, although too far to be touching him. This is awkward. How should he go about doing this? She's an untrained telepath, by all appearances, and it would certainly be better if she knew what he was about to do. It would also help if he could establish this first contact through a touch to her temple. But how can he do so naturally, in a way that won't rouse Dzarn's suspicions?

Oh. Of course.

He thinks she's his mate, after all.

He touches Rose's shoulder to get her attention, and opens his arms wide when she turns to look at him. He motions for her to come, trying not to appear nervous. Will she understand his intentions? Has she done this before, with a future version of him? The telepathy, and… the snuggling?

He can see the moment she realizes what he wants her to do, the look in her eyes changing from confusion to surprise. She stares hesitatingly at him for a moment before scooting over towards him. She turns around into his embrace, settling sideways between his legs, her head pressed on his chest. He wraps his arms around her, carefully positioning a hand over her temple. Does she know what he's about to do? He tries to cast aside all doubts as he prepares to open a link between them. Dzarn's voice stops him, breaking his concentration.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The Doctor curses mentally. Surely the Drazfin doesn't know about their telepathic abilities? They're not a telepathic race, are they? No, certainly not.

"I'm simply holding my mate," he lies smoothly. "It helps me sleep. You won't refuse me that, at least?"

He can hear Rose inhale sharply at his words, and he tightens his arms around her to warn her against showing any reaction. Dzarn is still watching them closely, indecisive.

"Look, I'll sleep better if I can hold her, and I'll work better if I'm well rested. That's the only important thing to you, isn't it?"

"Fine," he concedes. "But don't think you can try to talk in whispers. I'll be listening."

"Don't worry. You can stare at my lips all you want, you won't see them move."

Dismissing the disagreeable man from his thoughts, the Doctor lays his head against the wall and closes his eyes, relaxing his hold on Rose. One of his arms lies across her back, his hand coming up to curl around her shoulder. The other rests on the side of her face, his fingers lightly touching her temple. He takes a moment to prepare himself, strengthening his mental shields. He's not sure what to expect. A telepathic human is unheard of, and he doesn't intend to establish a strong connection, communication necessitating only a superficial link, but judging by her intense and uncontrolled projections from earlier in the day, he thinks it wise to leave most of his defenses up. Taking a deep breath, he gently enters her mind.

The sensations that immediately assault him send him reeling in surprise.

Her mind is… incredible. He is only at the outskirts, and already he is blown away by the feeling of her. She is blinding light, fiery warmth, and strangely familiar, and like a moth to a flame he feels irresistibly drawn closer to her.

He could lose himself in her so easily, and the thought is strangely much more enticing than it is frightening.

Distantly, he feels Rose stiffen in his arms at the sensation of a foreign presence in her mind. It recalls him to himself, and he moves the arm on her shoulder to gently stroke her back in a soothing motion. He's here without her consent, he has to remember that, he has to…

Her presence enthralls him, and he struggles to regain some control of himself. He can sense her about to speak out loud in surprise, and it is finally enough to pull him away from her compelling aura.

"Rose," he whispers in her mind. "Don't worry, it's me, it's only me. Don't make a sound, please."

She complies, relaxing slightly in his arms, but her breathing is still shallow, her heartbeat hammering wildly against his chest.

"I'm sorry I had to do this without asking you first, but I had to talk to you. And with Dzarn watching us…"

He waits a few moments for an answer that doesn't come. He senses her thoughts whirling through her mind, frantic and confused, but she still stays silent through their link.

"Rose? Are you alright? Talk to me, please?"

"Doctor?" she whispers timidly.

"Yes, hello. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm… What – How are you doing this?"

"Through a telepathic link. I'm a touch telepath."

"Yeah, I know, but I – I'm not…"

"Telepathic? Yes, you are. Weren't you aware of that?"

"No, I'm not, though. You – you would have told me, before, I'm sure you would. You never mentioned anything like that."

"Strange. Could it have developed recently? As far as I know, telepathy is an inborn trait, not an acquired one… Or maybe I'm just a rubbish telepath in my future bodies, and I didn't mention your telepathy in order to not embarrass myself."

His words trigger flashes of memories in her mind. He tries not to look, but he can't help the glimpses he catches – a fireplace, clockwork droids, a courtesan, and – is this France?

"No, he was telepathic too. I mean, you will be. Believe me, I know." She sounds somewhat annoyed at the memory, but before he can ask her about it she is speaking again.

"Wait… how did you know I was telepathic, exactly?"

"I could tell immediately, when you woke up. You were projecting rather strongly."

"Projecting?"

"Emotions, mainly. Some thoughts, as well…"

"Oh God. You're reading my thoughts?" He feels her attempts to pull away in alarm, but he keeps her firmly in place, scrambling to clarify his words.

"No, no, no, don't worry, I haven't been listening in on you. I shielded myself from your projections the moment I perceived them. I respected your privacy."

That isn't the absolute truth. He had put on defenses to avoid being overwhelmed by her overflowing emotions. He has also dropped them briefly to do exactly what she fears – listening in – but simply as an assurance of her honesty, to know that he could trust her. He feels slightly guilty now that he reflects back on it, but he had deemed it necessary at the time. No point in telling her that now, however.

"Oh. Oh good. That's… good. Thank you." He feels Rose relax once more, settling back into his embrace. They stay silent for a while as she adjusts to the telepathic connection between them, her presence in his mind gradually growing calmer as time passes.

"Your mind is… incredible," she whispers in awe.

"I could say the same about yours."

"No, no way. Your mind is so… vast. It's a whirlwind of knowledge, of experience, and yet it feels so… gentle. I can't explain it. It's amazing."

He senses her exploring their link in curiosity, inadvertently entangling their minds further. The feeling makes him breathless. He stays silent, revelling in the connection between them, and after a beat she speaks again.

"Doctor? I found out something I thought you might like to know."

"Yes?"

"I was talking with Ariz while you were away – "

"Who's Ariz? The guard?"

"Yes. He's actually rather nice. I was surprised, I expected – oh, I don't know, an unfeeling, aggressive alien. You know, since he's been abducting and caging up people. But that's not who he is."

"Yes, I believe you. The scientists aren't like that, either. Only their leader is, apparently." At the mention of that particular Drazfin, he is reminded of his presence in the room with them. He opens his eyes by a fraction to see him leaning against the doorframe, watching them through the dim light of the room with a dark and mistrustful expression. He closes his eyes again.

"Speaking of him, he is still watching us, by the way. Try not to have any physical reaction to our conversation."

"Yeah, okay," she agrees distractedly. "Doctor, these Drazfins seem… very different from those you encountered before."

"Yes, I came to that same conclusion myself. What clued you in?"

"Well, as I started saying earlier… Ariz told me about this war, on their home planet. Three factions fighting one another for years, interspersed only by brief and unstable periods of peace."

As much as it pains him to hear this, it doesn't really surprise him. Dzarn does seem to be rather… military in his manners.

"Ah... Yes, that is undeniably different. Do you know what caused it?"

"No, he didn't say. Just…Doctor, this cure… Ariz told me the leaders of his faction don't want it to heal everybody. They want it for power over the other two."

"What?"

To say that he is surprised this time is an understatement. All of the work he had done, it was all for something like this? For domination over others?

He feels ire rise inside of him. They all lied to him. Everyone on our planet is dying, they said. Help us save our race. The reality is entirely different. He is helping them win power, and leave the majority of the population to suffer.

"This is… horrible!"

"Yeah, I agree. We're not going to let that happen though, are we? We could take the TARDIS to their planet once you find the cure, and distribute it to everyone there, don't you think?"

He sighs, annoyed. She's right, of course, but that means he will work with the Czif and Kaf again in a few hours, pretending everything is fine, and that he doesn't know of their despicable plan.

"Yes. Yes, you're right, we should. It's just… I'm having trouble believing it of Czif and Kaf. They both seemed so kind, so passionate about their work. "

"Well, they might not be to blame," Rose offers thoughtfully. "They probably don't agree, or they might not even know about it. Ariz told me that on his planet, they don't get to decide what they are, what they do... They just follow the orders of their leaders. It doesn't excuse everything, of course, but… not everyone can be a hero on their own, you know?"

Not like you are the unspoken words lingering at the end of her statement, and he's grateful for the sentiment. He has to admit she has a point, even if he is still angry over her revelation.

"You're right," he concedes. "They didn't have much of a choice, I imagine. Maybe, if given one… they would not let their people die."

"Yes, I'm sure," she replies. "You know what, I'll talk to Ariz tomorrow. He can help us figure out what to do. He seemed devastated by the situation."

He hums his agreement, and they fall silent for a moment. He is still trying to erase the last of his anger as Rose speaks up again.

"Doctor, don't you think… we could try to help, too, with the situation on their planet, I mean? Try to bring back peace? There's no point curing them only to let them die in a war, don't you think?"

Her words fill him with unexpected warmth. What an amazing woman, able to show compassion and understanding even for a race that has imprisoned her and shown little regard for other human beings.

"Yes, of course," he assures her. He drops his cheek to the top of her head, hiding the smile forming on his mouth. He takes a deep breath, inhaling her scent as the last of his anger finally drifts away.

She shifts slightly in his arms, moving so she fits more snugly against him. Her arms come up to hold him around the waist, her head settling down on top of one of his hearts, and a sigh of contentment escapes him. He shouldn't need to sleep for another day or two, but he thinks he could probably drift off here and now, with this lovely woman in his arms and in his mind.

Silence settles over them for several minutes. The connection between them is still open, and her presence envelops him in warmth and lulls him into a state of complete relaxation.

"Doctor?"

Her voice reaches him faintly through the comfortable haze that has settled over him.

"Hmm?"

"Didn't you say you had to talk to me about something, before?"

The reminder cuts through him like a blade. How could he have forgotten? The shining presence he is currently enjoying in his mind shouldn't exist anymore. It should have been cruelly ripped apart in an old dusty building, taken from him before he even knew she existed. She should be dead.

Rose must have sense his horror and panic at these thoughts, as she grips his waist tighter and attempts to soothe him through their link. It's useless. His reawakened anxiety can't be stifled any longer.

"Doctor, what is it? What's the matter?"

"Rose, I need to know… Kaf told me something, about you, and about that gun…"

He trails off, unsure how to begin. He wants some answers, wants to finally understand, but now that the time has come… If he's honest with himself, he's afraid of what he'll find.

"About the gun? What gun?"

"The one you were shot with, in that building where I found you. Rose…"

He takes a moment to choose his words carefully, but there's really no easy way to say this.

"Rose, that gun was no stunner. It's an energy blaster, meant to kill. Kaf told me you caught a full blast of it, and that you shouldn't have…"

"Shouldn't have what?" she prompts. He can hear the fear in her voice.

"You shouldn't have survived. No one has ever lived through a full blast of it. Rose, you should be dead." His words come out in a rushed, pained whisper, his attempts to deliver the news calmly to her utterly pointless.

She completely freezes at his words. She stays silent for a long moment, and he can feel the tension in her body, the chaos in her mind, confusion, fear and incredulity mixing and warring for dominance. He catches glimpses of jumbled thoughts as she recalls the dash through the corridor, the flash of fear as she hears the shot she hadn't seen coming, the pain of the energy wave surging through her body.

When she speaks again, it is in a small, uncertain voice.

"But… I don't understand. I'm not dead, you can see that for yourself. I'm not dead."

"I know." He takes a deep breath, forcing himself to regain some composure.

"Then… Then what does it mean?"

"I was hoping you could tell me."

"What? How?" she asks, upset. "How should I know why I didn't die today?"

"There must be something you can tell me. And it's not just this… It's your telepathy, and your hidden timeline – It's all very unusual. Think back, try to remember… Something that happened this morning, or yesterday, or even further back. Something that could have affected you."

"I don't know!" She sounds panicked, confused, and he realizes how poorly he is helping her through this. She needs to be comforted, not pushed.

He presses his head closer to the top of her head, nuzzling her hair, letting the hand resting across her back drop to her waist, encircling her tightly. He lowers his mental shields, letting reassurance and warmth flow over to her. After a while her frenzied mind calms down, soothed by his. They are silent for a long moment, both of them lost in thoughts. Rose suddenly inhales sharply, her body tensing once more.

"Doctor, I think that – well, there was one thing that happened, a while ago. It was… definitely unique. But I'm not sure if it could have caused…"

"Tell me," he urges her gently.

"I can't… go into too much detail, alright? There are some things you can't know, that would be too dangerous if you remembered, so… Don't ask me questions, please." He hums in assent and she pauses, steeling herself to tell her story, or perhaps figuring out the edited version to tell.

"Right... We were facing a powerful enemy, and, well, you thought we couldn't win. You wanted to keep me safe, and to keep the TARDIS from falling into their hands, so you – you lied to me, you tricked me into the TARDIS. Then you went outside under false pretences, you locked me in, and sent me back home.

As she talks her mind becomes agitated once again, emotions and images leaking to him through their link. At first he tries to shield himself against it, to avoid prying further, but he soon gives in, fascinated by her story. What enemies? How could he take the decision to separate himself from the TARDIS, his oldest friend? Why had he not asked for help from the Time Lords, if the situation was so dire?

He sees flashes of her memories: a large control room in a ship, a man – is that him? – talking animatedly. He watches through her eyes as she rushes to the doors of the TARDIS, the sound of the dematerializing ship whirring loudly. He is overwhelmed by her panic, her despair, her anger.

"I wasn't… very happy about it. I wasn't about to let you die, all on your own, while I was tucked away safely at home. I was going to do everything I could to get back to you. But… I didn't know how to pilot the TARDIS, and I didn't have a whole lot of options, so I – I pried open a panel and looked into her heart."

"You did what?" he exclaims, incredulous.

"I had seen it happen before, to someone else, another enemy, and you said – you said it had granted her heart's desire. Well, my heart's desire was to save you, so I figured it would work."

He is almost shaking under the strain of keeping still. He wants to raise her head up to him, to look her in the eye and shout how foolhardy of an idea this was, or maybe praise her for her courage, for not abandoning him to die. He feels her own emotions intensely as well, her anguish over his fate, her refusal to stand by and let it happen, and another feeling which permeates it all, powerful, warm and all-consuming, directed at him – at his future self, that he can't quite identify. She speaks again, diverting his attention away.

"Things get a bit fuzzy after that. I remember blinding golden light, and singing, in my head… You explained a little what happened, afterwards, but you never really wanted to talk about it. Apparently I – I had the vortex running in my head, and I defeated our enemies with it. It was hurting me, though, so you took it out of me, and… well, that's it."

He takes a moment to absorb it all as she finishes her story. Her emotions finally quiet down and ebb away, leaving him free to think rationally about this, but all he can feel is awe. This incredible woman risked her life to save his, without the slightest hesitation, and is talking about it as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

He can tell there is much more to her story than what she told him. He knows he isn't supposed to ask questions, but this… this is clearly not a sufficient explanation.

"I took the vortex out of you? How?"

"You never really said."

"And… it was all gone? I ran some tests, and made sure it was gone?"

"Um, no, you never ran any tests. We were… kinda preoccupied right after that."

This startles him. The Time Vortex is incredibly dangerous, so much so that even Time Lords refrain from experimenting with it. How could he have not examined her thoroughly after what she had done?

"What could possibly have been more important than ensuring no part of the vortex remained in you?"

"You… you regenerated."

Oh. That… would explain it, yes. Regenerating is always… unpleasant, and he could see how it would push other concerns away. Nonetheless, it was foolish of him to ignore Rose's safety.

Apparently he will become a foolish man.

He feels himself growing annoyed with both of his future regenerations, the first for sending Rose and the TARDIS away, and the second for not dealing with the consequences. He feels quite certain that this is the explanation for Rose's remarkable characteristics. The vortex is a chaotic, uncontrollable force, and living with a piece of it inside of oneself… The consequences would undoubtedly be unpredictable. Could it be protecting Rose from harm?

"Well, that's more than likely the cause, but I will definitely need to run some long overdue tests. If you have part of the vortex still within you, it could be…extremely dangerous."

"But Doctor… That happened years ago. There's never been a sign of me being affected by it before now. Do you really think it could have caused this?"

"Hmm… Maybe something triggered it recently… I need to think about this."

They fall silent again as he ponders everything he has learned. Taking in the Time Vortex… He is still amazed that Rose would do this for him. He must be an extremely lucky man in the future, to have found such a companion. As ridiculous as it is, he feels a little jealous of his future self.

And speaking of him, where is he? Rose said he isn't here right now, whatever that means. His future self is pushing his luck a little too far, letting his companion wander into such dangerous situations without him there.

Of course, as it turns out, he is here. But his future self had no way of knowing that.

Besides, whatever happened to Rose must have occurred after they were separated, judging by the fact that he had not noticed any telepathic abilities in her before then. But just how long has he been away, exactly? What is keeping him from returning to her?

Would she tell him if he asks?

"Rose?"

She doesn't answer, and he notices her presence in his mind has dimmed to a low glow, her head resting heavily on his chest. She has fallen asleep, no doubt exhausted by the emotion of the past hour and the strain of the telepathic link on her inexperienced mind.

He withdraws gently from her head, reluctant to leave her comforting presence but unwilling to disturb her sleep. Keeping his arms around her, his eyes still closed, he feigns sleep for Dzarn as he settles for long hours of musings without much hope of answers.

A/N: Just a heads up, the next chapter might also take me a little longer, because I'm finishing writing up my thesis right now, which takes a lot of my time. Ugh, real life... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one!