She blinked a couple of times, his words sinking in. "You mean Bad Wolf?" she asked hoarsely.

He nodded.

"You mean that Bad Wolf orchestrated that I return to you in the Time War and what? Fight?" She laughed bitterly at that thought. "None of this makes sense. I can't fight. I'd be bloody useless trying to disarm a Dalek."

"You forget the power you wield now," he interrupted her rant.

She stopped, her face going pale. She shook her head violently and stood abruptly. "No. No I refuse to fight. I can't control it. What if I kill innocents? I don't want blood on my hands. I can't! I won't."

As her voice and panic rose, her body started to shimmer with swirling golden light. The Doctor's eyes widened. He quickly stood and strode to her, grasping her by the shoulders. "Calm down, Rose. You need to calm down. When you experience strong emotions, you lose control of your power. Look down at your body," he said in a firm, yet gentle voice.

She looked down and gasped at the golden light shimmering and swirling over her skin. She slowly raised a hand to her face, mesmerized by the light. She swallowed thickly.

"Take deep breathes," the Doctor instructed. She did as he asked, taking slow, deep and steadying breathes. "Close your eyes and envision a happy, peaceful moment."

Again, she did as he asked and he marvelled at how beautiful she looked. Absolutely breathtaking. Slowly the light receded into her and finally diminished altogether. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked at him. "Thank-you," she whispered.

He didn't consciously think of it, but slowly his hands travelled up until he was cupping her face and he leaned down slowly, brushing his lips against hers. She gasped in surprise, but after a pause, he felt her arms entwined around his neck, her hands snaking their way into his hair, nails scraping against his scalp as she returned his kiss. He groaned at the sensation, and suddenly the kiss deepened. His one hand clutched at the back of her head, angling her head so he could kiss her deeper, his other hand on the small of her back. She groaned and he felt all his restraint snap. He walked her backwards, still kissing her until she bumped into the table. He distantly recalled sweeping the plate off the table, hearing the crash as it shattered on the floor. But none of that mattered. All reasoning had left him. He wanted her with such a ferocity that it should have scared him. But all he could think about was having her, tasting her.

He hoisted her on the table and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He leaned her back until she was lying on the table, neither of them breaking from the kiss. His hand slipped under her shirt, her bare skin searing hot to the touch. His hand moved with confidence up her ribs until he reached her bra. He paused and parted her lips with his tongue seeking entrance. She willingly parted her lips and their tongues danced together, tasting each other. She arched her chest up, encouraging him.

He kissed down her neck as his hand palmed her breast over her bra. "You should tell me to stop," he murmured between kisses.

"Do you want to stop?" she panted.

He looked up at her. Her blonde hair was dishevelled, her lips bruised, her face flushed. She looked glorious. "No!" he growled and kissed her again fiercely. He felt her tugging at his jacket, desperately trying to get it off him.

He parted from her briefly to shrug it off. It dropped to the floor silently, their pants and gasps the only sounds echoing in the kitchen. He was just about to unbutton his vest and shirt when a ringing in the console room interrupted the moment.

Rose sat up and started unbuttoning his vest. "Ignore it," she murmured, placing a kiss on his neck as she slipped the vest off, letting it join the jacket on the floor by his feet.

But the ringing just got louder and she sighed, dropping her hands. "Better go answer it."

He lifted her chin with his fingertips and placed a gentle kiss on her plump lips. He turned swiftly, cursing under his breath. Of all the eons that the phone has never rung, it had to choose this moment to interrupt. But maybe it was just as well. Things would have gotten too far. Dangerously far. He sighed. So much for keeping a respectable distance, keeping the boundaries.

But when he got to the console room he realised that it wasn't the phone ringing, but an incoming video call on the monitor. He hit the button to accept and a boyish face stared back at him. The Doctor was taken aback. This was clearly a future him. He frowned.

"How are you making this call? I'm in a time lock," he asked sharply.

"Wibbly-wobbly stuff. Now important question: is Rose Tyler there?" he replied dismissively, his hands waving about as he talked, his emerald green eyes sharp. Then he frowned as he took in the appearance of his younger self. "Aren't you a bit underdressed?"

The younger Doctor felt a blush forming. Rose chose that moment to walk into the room, smoothing down her hair. But her face was still flushed and her lips still swollen. She walked up to him, a question in her eye and then looked over at the monitor, gasping in surprise when she spotted the older Doctor.

His face became neutral as he took in the sight of her, but his eyes looked furious as he put two and two together.

"Ah," was all he said.

"Seriously, how are you getting this video call through?" the younger Doctor persisted.

"I told you: Wibbly-wobbly, Timey-Wimey stuff," he said flippantly. In the background they heard a female voice call out, "Doctor, hurry up. The connection isn't going to hold long."

"Right, yes, to the point then," the younger looking Doctor muttered. Then he pointed a finger warningly at the Doctor standing beside Rose. "You need to keep her safe until I can figure out how to get her out of the time lock. Do you understand? This is a very dangerous time, you have no idea how bad it's going to get. Keep her safe!" The last sentence came out in a growl.

"I understand full enough the seriousness of the situation and I can guarantee you that I'll keep her safe..."

"By making kissy faces with her?" the bow tied Doctor interrupted.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Rude," muttered Rose.

The Doctor on the screen turned his full attention to Rose. "I'm sorry I said those things, Rose. I had to initiate an emotional receptor in order to force an unlock of your memories. I just didn't expect…you to disappear." There was sorrow written all over his face, his emerald green eyes pinching with the knowledge that he had hurt her.

"Well it worked. She got them back. Well, most of them anyway," her current Doctor interrupted.

"Really?"

"All of them except what happened after you dropped me and the human Doctor off on that beach. Those memories are still stubbornly locked," Rose said.

"But there's another situation," the Doctor added.

"Like?" the youthful looking Doctor asked, his almost non-existent brows furrowing together.

"Bad Wolf," Rose offered.

"It has manifested and as such, is now fully part of her," the Doctor said.

"Have you run tests?"

"Not yet. We first worked on building shields and she's starting to learn to control it."

The green-eyed Doctor looked thoughtful. "We can use that to our advantage. Use that power. Use it to get her out of there."

"She has very little control over it!" the Doctor said raising his voice. "Getting through the time lock and onto my Tardis depleted almost all of that power. Attempting such a thing, even if she is fully in control, could prove detrimental."

The younger looking Doctor ran a hand over his face and then straightened his bow tie. The voice called behind him, "Not much more time, Doctor!"

"Okay. Okay. Figure something out. I'll try as well on my end. After this, I doubt whether I'll be able to contact you again. But keep her safe. Keep her out of the War. Promise me!" he demanded, his look fierce and his voice urgent as he glared at his younger self.

The Doctor nodded once. "I promise."

The other Doctor turned to Rose, his face softening. "Rose, my precious Rose. I…" The communication cut off abruptly.

Rose blinked at the now blank screen. She felt numb all over. Unbidden, the memory of that day on the cold windy beach of Norway hit her, chocolate brown eyes looking sorrowfully at her as he started that sentence but never got to finish it.

"Well, that was insightful," the Doctor mused, rubbing thoughtfully at his chin.

"Which part?" she asked bitterly.

"All of it."

She turned her head to look at him, waiting for him to add more to that statement, but he was still staring at the now blank monitor, a slight frown etched on his features. It had unsettled him just to see firsthand how raw his feelings for Rose were. His future self was deathly afraid. Outwardly, he had exhibited a certain amount of control, but he could see it in those emerald green eyes. It was like an open wound. He still loved her deeply and the thought of losing her again, like this, was almost killing him. But he was definitely right. They had to find a way to get her out of here. And he knew of only one person who had the power to help him.

But first they had a lot of work to do before they went there. He shuddered at what it would cost him. Everything came at a price and now this was going to be his debt.

He finally pulled himself out of his musings and turned to look at Rose. She had her arms crossed protectively over her stomach and her jaw was clenched. Her eyes held fire, her anger very easy to see. He had a very good guess that her anger was directed at his future self.

"Rose?" he asked softly.

She met his eyes and some of the anger melted. "Sorry, just bought back some unpleasant memories."

He nodded and decided not to pry further. "If you feel up to it, I thought we could run those tests. I have a plan, though to be honest, it has a slim chance of success."

"Do you have a plan B?"

"No, but I'm working on it," he told her honestly.

She nodded. "Yeah, your plans usually never work out…and we usually end up running for our lives."

"Yes, but that's what keeps things so interesting. Life would be so dull if everything went according to plan."

She laughed, a genuine laugh, and he couldn't help but smile back at her.

They made their way to the med bay after he had collected his vest and jacket from the kitchen, and Rose lay on the examination table without being told. She remained silent as he took blood samples and ran scanners all over her. A small ping sounded letting them know the tests were complete and the Doctor strode over to read the printout on the monitor. He stood absolutely still, tension radiating through him. That was not a good sign. She sat up on the table, her legs swinging back and forth at a leisurely pace, her hands clasped on her lap, waiting for him to tell her the verdict.

Finally she got tired of waiting and asked, "Well?"

He didn't answer her, but he did turn to face her, running a hand tiredly over his face.

"That bad, huh?"

He flinched slightly. "Depends on how you look at it."

"Best not to gloss it over, Doctor. Just be straightforward with me, yeah."

He sucked in a deep breath, steeling himself. "You're mostly human, though your DNA strand has an additional helix. Here, come to the monitor and I'll show you."

She jumped off the bed and walked over to the screen. On it was a DNA strand and woven into strands was a shining golden strand, entwined and fixed into her DNA.

"I've never seen genetic material like this before. You are very unique. Mostly human, but something else as well. Now the printout shows fast metabolism, which means that you probably heal fast as well."

He reached behind him and when he turned he had a scalpel in his hand. She visibly drew back at the sight. "I promise, just a small cut. I want to see if what I'm reading is right."

She wordlessly offered him her hand, though her heart was hammering in her chest. With a quick flick of his wrist he made a shallow cut on her palm. It was so quick that she barely registered any pain. His thumb stroked reassuringly over her fingers and he leaned down, kissing her with such tenderness. He pulled away and smiled softly. Then he turned away and got some tissues, wiping away the blood. Where there should have been a cut, still bleeding, there was only a small pink scar.

They stared at her palm in silence, Rose feeling her heart hammering in her chest.

"Hmm, you heal even faster than me," he murmured. He was still looking at her hand clasped in his own. "There was something else the scans showed."

"Good or bad," she asked breathlessly. This was too much to take in.

"Again, depends on how you look at it," he said. They looked up at each other. "You might want to sit down for this," he said, gesturing to the chair by the exam table.

She reluctantly let go of his hand and went to sit, nervous energy thrumming through her. Her fingers drummed a nervous beat against her knees and she had the sudden impulse to run.

The Doctor sucked in another deep breath, steeling himself. "Your cells are regenerating at impossibly fast rate."

"Which means?"

He hesitated. "You're not aging."

She blinked at him. A sudden buzzing noise echoed in her head, incessant and non-stop. She wanted to be sick. But she forced herself to stay focused. At least her training in parallel Torchwood had taught her to stay focused, but it hadn't really prepared her for news like this. When she was younger and more naïve, she would have thought that immortality would have been wonderful. But life lessons and her time with the Doctor and taught her that it was a curse. A very horrible curse.

"So I won't age," she asked, surprised by how even her voice was. "Does that mean I won't die?"

"I…uh…I don't know. And I'm not too keen to test that theory."

"Did your tests show how old I am?"

"Undetermined. They couldn't tell. If only we had your memories from the parallel world we would have some answers."

Suddenly a horrible thought entered her head. "Is that what happened? Did I outlive him? My human Doctor?"

His features saddened, indicating that he thought that this was the likely scenario. "I don't know, Rose. Only you hold the key to that answer."

She laughed mirthlessly. "So I have the power of the Vortex running through me, merging with my DNA, making me mostly human but something else entirely. I heal fast and don't age. Anything else I need to know?"

"Rose, I know this is a lot to process…"

"No, you have no idea!" she was shouting now, tears shimmering in her eyes, threatening to fall. She didn't want to cry, but she knew it was a losing battle.

"Actually, I do," he countered quietly.

The tears that were threatening now spilled down her cheeks and she took a trembling breath. "Yeah, I know. The curse of the Time Lords. Sorry, I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you. It's just, I never asked for any of this. I only took in the power of the Vortex to save you."

He strode over to her silently and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head. She felt herself break and she sobbed. He rubbed his hands up and down her back, letting her cry herself out, not saying a word.

Eventually she quieted and pulled back from him slightly, wiping at her cheeks. He silently handed her a handkerchief from his pocket and she took it gratefully.

"Of course you would carry a handkerchief," she sniffled, laughing slightly.

"Back to criticizing my wardrobe choice?" he joked.

She shook her head and wiped her eyes and nose.

"I'll help you, Rose. I promise that I'll stay by your side and help you through this."

She suddenly felt drained. "I think I need some sleep. Still a bit human after all."

"Do you want me to join you?" he asked.

The question hung in the air. They were definitely crossing the line that hadn't dared be crossed before. This Doctor was certainly more open with his emotions and feeling. She had thought that she had been bought here by accident, but maybe this was the Doctor that she needed all along.

She took his hand in her own and replied, "Please."

She saw him visibly relax. Maybe he had been scared of her rejecting him. They walked to her room silently and she went to the bathroom to change into pajama shorts and a strappy pajama top. When she came out he was standing by the vanity folding his clothes neatly and placing them on the chair. He was wearing black pajama pants and nothing else. His chest was bare, sparse hair smattering his chest. It was a well-defined chest and back. His muscles were toned. Nothing bulky or very defined, but she had never found big muscles attractive.

He turned to her, standing straight and she could see how nervous he was. She walked to him and hugged him, nuzzling against his bare chest. He visibly relaxed and stroked her hair.

"Thank-you," she murmured against his chest.

"Anytime," he whispered back. He pushed her back slightly and cupped her face tenderly. He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. It was a sweet kiss, one meant to reassure and express love. It didn't hold any heat or passion, but she didn't think now was the time for passion. He gave her one last kiss and then gently took her hand, leading her to the bed.

Once they got under the covers, Rose snuggled into him, her back to his front and he wrapped his arm around her waist, spooning her. She heard him sigh contentedly and it wasn't long before she felt herself drifting off.